Author Topic: H.M.S. Swiftsure.  (Read 1509 times)

Offline stuartwaters

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Re: H.M.S. Swiftsure.
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2019, 12:23:12 PM »
Following her arrival at Chatham, HMS Swiftsure was left for some years until the decision was made to modernise the ship to the standards of the Tiger Class Cruisers, which although much more modern, were actually built on the same hulls. This was because the Minotaur Class (to which the ship belonged) was originally planned as a class of 8. Of those eight, three were completed (HMS Minotaur, HMS Swiftsure and HMS Superb), three were launched and left incomplete and the rest were broken up on the slipways.


The incomplete ships were later completed as the three Tiger Class ships (HMS Tiger, HMS Lion and HMS Blake).


HMS Swiftsure's planned refit would have seen her World War Two vintage secondary and anti-aircraft guns removed and replaced with much more modern 76mm 70 calibre automatic guns in twin armoured turrets (as fitted to the Tiger Class) and Bofors 40mm guns. More modern radar and fire control systems were due to be added.


As the refit proceeded, it was found that the structural damage was much more severe than first thought. When the new forward superstructure, similar in appearance to that on HMS Belfast and the Tiger Class ships, was complete, the hull supporting it was found to have dropped by 18 inches under its weight. By 1959,the structural repairs were complete, but her original main armament of 9x6in mk 23 guns, being manually loaded, was considered to be too obsolete to be put back onto the ship. Various options were considered about the ships main guns, but they merely added cost and more delay to a project which by now was running seriously over budget and late.


Concerns in Parliament were beginning to be raised over the rising costs of modernising what was considered to be an obsolete ship and that, coupled with the overdue and over-budget project to get the Tiger Class ships into service led to the whole project being cancelled.


On 17th October 1962, the ship arrived at Inverkeithing, largely empty and with her heavy main gun turrets removed after having been towed there from Chatham and was broken up.
"I did not say the French would not come, I said they will not come by sea" - Admiral Sir John Jervis, 1st Earl St Vincent.

epsom

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Re: H.M.S. Swiftsure.
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2019, 07:14:44 AM »
My Grandfather served on HMS Swiftsure during the war. I will try and find some of his pictures and see if any there of her.

Offline Howardws

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Re: H.M.S. Swiftsure.
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2019, 07:33:12 PM »

Offline castle261

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H.M.S. Swiftsure.
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2019, 02:10:54 PM »
I remember seeing H.M.S. Swiftsure coming into Chatham Dockyard, assisted by tugs.
That was the time after H.M.S. Diamond (DE35) ploughed into the side of H.M.S. Swiftsure.
It left a large hole, big enough to drive a London bus through it, on September. 29th. 1953.
They were involved in Exersize Mariner off Iceland.


Later H.M.S. Diamond was involved with a collision with the Frigate H.M.S. Salisbury in 1964.
H.M.S. Diamond was scrapped in Rainham, Kent in 1981.