Built as a destroyer under yard No 1065 by Cammell, Laird & Co., Birkenhead for the Royal Navy.
01 April 1940 ordered.
16 June 1941 laid down.
16 July 1942 launched as the HMS RAPID (H32) one of the R-class. She was the 8th ship in the Royal Navy that carried the name RAPID.
Displacement 1,705 standard, 2,425 ton full load. Dim. 109.2 x 10.9 x 2.9m. (draught), length bpp. 103.5m.
Powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, 40,000 shp, twin shafts, speed 36 knots.
Range by a speed of 20 knots, 4,675 mile.
Armament: 4 – 4.7 inch QF, 4 – 2 pdr. QF, 6 – 20mm QF Oerlikon guns and 8 – 21 inch torpedo tubes, three throwers and three racks for 45 depth charges.
Crew 176.
20 February 1943 completed.
After a working up period in Scape Flow was she used as convoy escort to West Africa and later Indian Ocean and Pacific.
19 March 1945came under fire of shore batteries when sailing in the Steward Sound, Andaman Islands where in 12 men were killed and 23 wounded and the ship lost power.
Towed to Akyab now Sittwe, Myanmar for emergency repair before she sailed to South Africa for repair.
1953 Refitted in a fast anti-submarine frigate (F 138), armament 2 – 4 inch and 2 – 40 mm guns.
1959 Part of the reserve fleet and took part in Navy’s Days in Portsmouth.
03 September 1981 sunk as a target in the Atlantic.
Seychelles 1969 20c sg265, scott260. 1972 20c sg306, scott? 1975 20c sg334, scott? 1975 20c sg338, scott? 1976 20C sg374, scott?
Source: Internet.
http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz Log Book.
