HMS Charity (R29)

HMS Charity (R29)
HMS Charity engaged in Operation Fishnet off North Korea, 16 September 1952.
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Charity
Builder:	John I. Thornycroft and Company and Company, Woolston, Southampton
Laid down:	9 July 1943
Launched:	30 November 1944
Commissioned:	19 November 1945
Out of service:	16 June 1958
Identification:	Pennant number: R29
Honours and awards:	Korean War
Fate:	Sold to US Navy for later sale to the Pakistan Navy
Career
Name:	PNS Shah Jahan
Commissioned:	16 December 1958
Homeport:	Karachi
Identification:	Pennant number: DD-962
Honours and awards:	Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
Fate:	Damaged by SS-N-2 missile and scrapped
General characteristics
Type:	C-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,710 tons (standard) 2,520 tons (full)
Length:	363 ft (111 m) o/a
Beam:	35.75 ft (10.90 m)
Draught:	10 ft (3.0 m) light 14.5 ft (4.4 m) full
Propulsion:	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp, 2 shafts
Speed:	37 knots (69.45 km/h)
Range:	615 tons oil, 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km) at 32 knots (59 km/h)
Complement:	186
Armament:	4 x QF 4.5 in (113 mm) L/45 guns Mark IV on mounts CP Mk.V 2 x Bofors 40 mm L/60 guns on twin mount "Hazemeyer" Mk.IV 4 x anti-aircraft mountings; Bofors 40 mm, single mount Mk.III QF 2 -pdr Mk.VIII, single mount Mk.XVI Oerlikon 20 mm, single mount P Mk.III Oerlikon 20 mm, twin mount Mk.V 2 x quadruple tubes for 21 in torpedoes Mk.IX 4 throwers and 2 racks for 96 depth charges

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Charity.

HMS Charity was a C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by John I. Thornycroft and Company of Woolston, Southampton on 9 July 1943. She was launched on 30 November 1944 and commissioned on 19 November 1945. She was sold to the US Navy in 1958, for transfer to the Pakistan Navy as a part of the Military Aid Program.

She was badly damaged in a strike by Indian Navy missile boats during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, and scrapped as a result.

History in the Royal Navy

Charity served during the Korean War.

History in the Pakistan Navy

Charity was sold to the United States Navy on 16 June 1958, for further transfer to the Pakistan Navy. She was renamed Shah Jehan. She was modernized by J. Samuel White in Cowes, England under a US contract and transferred to the Pakistan Navy as part of the Military Assistance Program on 16 December 1958 where she served as PNS Shah Jahan (literally, "Emperor of the World", after Shah Jahan).

Indo-Pakistan War of 1971

During the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971, Shah Jahan was escort to the cargo ship MV Venus Challenger carrying ammunition sent by the United States for the war effort from Saigon to Karachi.

On the night of 4 December 1971, the Indian Navy launched a fast naval strike called Operation Trident on the Pakistani Naval Headquarters of Karachi. The Operation Trident task force consisted of 3 Vidyut class missile boats from the 25th "Killer" Missile Boat Squadron (Nipat, Nirghat, and Veer), escorted by two Petya-class frigates, Tir and Kiltan, and two anti-submarine patrol vessels approached Karachi.

The Indian missile boats evaded Pakistani reconnaissance aircraft and patrol vessels and converged at 2150 hours about 70 miles south of Karachi, and detected the Pakistani naval vessels on patrol. At 2300 hours, Nipat fired 2 SS-N-2 Styx missiles at Shah Jahan and Venus Challenger. The ammunition aboard Venus Challenger exploded when the ship was hit by the missile, and the vessel quickly sunk. Shah Jahan was also struck by the missile and was irreparably damaged. She was towed back to Karachi and scrapped.

The Pakistani destroyer Khaibar and minesweeper Muhafiz were also sunk in the operation.

Publications

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.