Military Wiki
HMS Spey (K246)
The Royal Navy during the Second World War A22010
HMS Spey passing ships in a convoy during the Second World War (IWM)
Career (United Kingdom) Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom
Name: Spey
Namesake: River Spey
Builder: Smiths Dock Co., South Bank-on-Tees
Laid down: 18 July 1941
Launched: 18 December 1941
Commissioned: 19 May 1942
Identification: K246
Honours and
awards:
  • Atlantic 194-44
  • Normandy 1944
  • Burma 1944-45
Fate: Sold to Egypt November 1948
Career (Egypt) Naval Ensign of Egypt
Name: Rasheed
Acquired: November 1948
Fate: Scrapped, 1994
General characteristics
Class & type: River-class frigate
Displacement:
  • 1,370 long tons (1,390 t)
  • 1,830 long tons (1,860 t) (deep load)
Length:
  • 283 ft (86.26 m) p/p
  • 301.25 ft (91.82 m)o/a
  • Beam: 36.5 ft (11.13 m)
    Draught: 9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load)
    Propulsion: 2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp
    Speed: 20 knots (37.0 km/h)
    Range: 440 long tons (450 t; 490 short tons) oil fuel; 7,200 nautical miles (13,334 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
    Complement: 107
    Armament:

    HMS Spey (K246) was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN) from 1942 to 1948, subsequently sold to the Egyptian Navy.

    Construction[]

    Spey was built to the RN's specifications as a Group I River-class frigate. She was laid down at Smiths Dock Co., South Bank-on-Tees on 19 July 1941 and launched on 18 December 1941. The ship was commissioned the following year and was the second ship in the Royal Navy to carry the name, after the River Spey in Scotland. She was adopted by the civil community of Letchworth in Hertfordhsire as part of Warship Week in 1942.[1]

    War service[]

    Spey was initially assigned to Western Approaches Command for convoy defence duties. She saw extensive service on convoy escort missions. On 11 July 1942 she shared the credit for the sinking of U-136.[1] In December 1942 she was deployed to the Mediterranean for convoy defence and support of the landings in Italy, code-named Operation Torch. She returned to duties in the Atlantic and undertook operations until May 1944, when she was due for refit.

    Following refit she sailed for Ceylon and by the end of 1944 was deployed for convoy defence and support of operations in Burma. In January 1945 this included support for landings on the northern shore of Ramree Island. In July 1945 she was prepared to support the proposed landing operations in Malaya. On return to the UK she was laid up in reserve.

    Post-war service[]

    Spey was sold to the Egyptian Navy in November 1948. She was refitted by Willougby (Plymouth) Ltd and sailed for Egypt in April 1950.[2] During her service with the Egyptian Navy she is reported as having been used as a submarine support ship before being scrapped.[3]

    References[]

    1. 1.0 1.1 "HMS Spey, frigate". naval-history.net. https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-15Fr-River-Spey.htm. 
    2. Blackman, Raymond V B, Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, London, p72
    3. Moore, John E (ed), Jane's Fighting Ships 1978-9, MacDonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd, London, p132

    Bibliography[]

    External links[]


    • HMS Tweed (K250)
    • Usk
    • HMS Waveney (K248)
    • HMS Wear (K230)
    • Windrush
    • HMS Wye (K371)

    | group2= Royal Australian Navy | list2=

    | group3= Royal Canadian Navy | list3=

    | group4= Free French Naval Forces | list4=

    | group5=Royal Netherlands Navy | list5=

    | group6=South African Navy | list6=

    | group7=United States NavyAsheville class | list7=

    | list8=


    | list20=

    | below=

    }}



    All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
    The original article can be found at HMS Spey (K246) and the edit history here.