HMS Diamond was a Daring-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland, and launched on 14 June 1950. This ship was John Brown & Company's first all-welded ship (as opposed to the rivetted construction more commonly used up to that time).[1]
.jpg) HMS Diamond, July 1952
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Diamond |
| Ordered | 24 January 1945 |
| Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
| Yard number | 632 [1] |
| Laid down | 15 March 1949 |
| Launched | 14 June 1950 [2] |
| Commissioned | 21 February 1952 |
| Identification | Pennant number: D35 |
| Motto |
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| Fate | Scrapped at Rainham, Kent, 12 November 1981 [1] |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Daring-class destroyer |
| Displacement | Standard: 2,830 tons, full load: 3,820 tons [1] |
| Length | 391 ft (119 m) |
| Beam | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Draught | 22.6 ft (6.9 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range | 4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h) |
| Complement | Approximately 300 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
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Service history
editIn 1953 Diamond took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[3] On 29 September 1953, she sustained severe bow damage in a collision with the cruiser Swiftsure during Exercise Mariner, held off the coast of Iceland.[4][5]
In 1956 Diamond was sent into Port Said to show the flag prior to the Franco-British assault, but the Egyptian government was unmoved and she sailed out to join the main attack force for the Suez landings at Port Said. She underwent a refit in 1959 at Chatham Dockyard. In 1964 she was involved in another collision, this time with the frigate Salisbury, in the English Channel during a naval demonstration.[6]
In 1970, she became one of two Harbour Training Ships moored alongside Priddy's Hard jetty in Gosport and attached to the Marine Engineering School at nearby HMS Sultan and remained in this role until replaced by HMS Londonderry. For most of this time, her steam plant remained maintained and useable for watchkeeping familiarisation purposes. HMS Diamond was scrapped in Rainham in Kent in 1981.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "HMS Diamond". Clydebuilt Ships Database. Archived from the original on 1 May 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "HMS Diamond". Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden
- ^ "British Warships In Collision". The Times (52741): Col C, p. 6. 1 October 1953.
- ^ "Letter from P. D. Haynes, Trafford Branch" (PDF). Vanguard (The Official Journal of the Royal Naval Association No 10 area). April 2009. p. 21. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ "Two Warships Collide". The Times (56048): Col D, p. 12. 26 June 1964.
Publications
edit- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. 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.
- McCart, Neil (2008). Daring Class Destroyers. Fan Publications. ISBN 978-1-904459-33-0.
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