HMS Mounts Bay (K627)

For other ships of the same name, see NRP Vasco da Gama.

As NRP Vasco da Gama
Career (United Kingdom)
Name:	Mounts Bay
Namesake:	Mount's Bay
Builder:	William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd., South Bank, Middlesbrough
Laid down:	23 October 1944
Launched:	8 June 1945
Commissioned:	11 April 1949
Decommissioned:	May 1960
Identification:	pennant number K627
Honours and awards:	Korea 1950–53
Fate:	Sold to Portugal, 1961
Career (Portugal)
Name:	Vasco da Gama
Namesake:	Vasco da Gama
Acquired:	1961
Identification:	F478
Fate:	Scrapped 1971
General characteristics
Class & type:	Bay-class frigate
Displacement:	1,600 long tons (1,626 t) standard 2,530 long tons (2,571 t) full
Length:	286 ft (87 m) p/p 307 ft 3 in (93.65 m) o/a
Beam:	38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
Draught:	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Propulsion:	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW)
Speed:	19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph)
Range:	724 tons oil fuel, 9,500 nmi (17,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement:	157
Sensors and processing systems:	Type 285 fire control radar Type 291 air warning radar Type 276 target indication radar High Frequency Direction Finder (HF/DF) IFF transponder
Armament:	4 × QF 4-inch Mark XVI guns on 2 twin mounting HA/LA Mk.XIX 4 × 40 mm Bofors A/A on 2 twin mounts Mk.V 4 × 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on 2 twin mounts Mk.V 1 × Hedgehog 24 barrel A/S projector 2 rails and 4 throwers for 50 depth charges

HMS Mounts Bay was a Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate of the British Royal Navy, named after Mount's Bay in Cornwall. In commission from 1949 until 1960, she saw active service in the Korean War, and was sold to Portugal in 1961 to serve as NRP Vasco da Gama until 1971.

Decommissioning and disposal

In May 1960 the ship was decommissioned and put into Reserve at Portsmouth. She was modernized by John I Thornycroft in Southampton, before being commissioned by the Portuguese Navy on 3 August 1961.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). 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.