INS_Ganga_(D94)

HMS <i>Chiddingfold</i> (L31)

HMS Chiddingfold (L31)

Destroyer of the Royal Navy

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Chiddingfold.

HMS Chiddingfold (L31) was a Type II Hunt-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was leased to the Indian Navy in 1952 where she served as INS Ganga (D94).

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Construction and design

Chiddingfold was one of 17 Hunt-class destroyers ordered from various shipbuilders on 4 September 1939.[1][2] The Hunts were meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet. The Type II Hunts differed from the earlier ships in having increased beam in order to improve stability[lower-alpha 1] and carry the ships' originally intended armament.[4]

Chiddingfold was laid down at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's shipyard at Greenock on the River Clyde on 1 March 1940 as Job No. J1115, was launched on 10 March 1941, and was completed on 16 October that year.[1] Chiddingfold was the first ship of the Royal Navy to have that name,[5] and was named after the fox hunt at Petworth, Sussex.[2]

Chiddingfold was 264 feet 3 inches (80.54 m) long between perpendiculars and 280 feet (85.34 m) overall. The ship's beam was 31 feet 6 inches (9.60 m) and draught 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 m). Displacement was 1,050 long tons (1,070 t) standard and 1,490 long tons (1,510 t) under full load. Two Admiralty boilers raising steam at 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa) and 620 °F (327 °C) fed Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines that drove two propeller shafts, generating 19,000 shaft horsepower (14,000 kW) at 380 rpm. This gave a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph).[6] Fuel capacity was 277 long tons (281 t) of oil, giving a design range of 2,560 nautical miles (4,740 km; 2,950 mi) (although in service use, this dropped to 1,550 nautical miles (2,870 km; 1,780 mi)).[7]

The ship's main gun armament was six 4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI dual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in three twin mounts, with one mount forward and two aft. Additional close-in anti-aircraft armament was provided by a quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" mount and two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon mounted in the bridge wings.[8][9] Power-operated twin 20 mm Oerlikon mounts replaced the single Oerlikons during the war.[10] Up to 110 depth charges could be carried.[11][12][lower-alpha 2] The ship had a complement of 168 officers and men.[6][8]

History in the Royal Navy

She earned battle honours in World War II for Norway, 1941 and English Channel, 1945.

Following the war, she was reduced to Reserve status early in 1946 and laid-up on 25 March 1946. In 1950 she was transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Harwich and remained there until 1952 when she was towed to Liverpool for a refit.[13]

History in the Indian Navy

For other ships with the same name, see INS Ganga.

The lease of Chiddingfold to India was announced on 17 June 1952. She underwent a refit by Messrs Crichton at Liverpool which was completed in June 1953.

She was commissioned as INS Ganga on 18 June 1953. The lease was extended in August 1956, and she was sold to India in April 1958. Along with two other Hunt-class destroyers in Indian service (Godavari and Gomati), she constituted the 22nd Destroyer Squadron.[14]

She was deployed as a training ship until 1975, when she was struck from the active list, before being sold for scrapping.

Notes

  1. A design error caused the first Hunt, Atherstone to be dangerously unstable when built. The first 23 Hunts had a twin 4-inch mount removed, the ships' superstructure cut down and ballast fitted in order to restore adequate stability.[3]
  2. While Lenton and Friedman both state a capacity of 110 depth charges,[11][12] Gardiner and Chesneau give a capacity of 30 or 60 charges.[8]

References

  1. [1]
    English 1987, p. 17.
  2. [2]
    "HMS Chiddingfold (L 31) - Type II, Hunt-class Escort Destroyer including Convoy Escort Movements". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2. Naval-History.net. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  3. [3]
    English 1987, pp. 10–11.
  4. [4]
    English 1987, pp. 11–12.
  5. [5]
    Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 69.
  6. [6]
    Lenton 1970, p. 89.
  7. [7]
    English 1987, p. 12.
  8. [8]
    Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 47.
  9. [9]
    Lenton 1970, pp. 85, 89.
  10. [10]
    Whitley 2000, p. 145.
  11. [11]
    Lenton 1970, p. 87.
  12. [12]
    Friedman 2008, p. 319.
  13. [13]
    Critchley, Mike, "British Warships Since 1945: Part 3: Destroyers", Maritime Books: Liskeard, UK, 1982. ISBN 0-9506323-9-2, page 34
  14. [14]
    Blackman, Raymond V B, Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, London, p123

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