HMAS Swan (U74)
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HMAS Swan in 1945
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| History | |
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 Australia
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| Namesake: | Swan River |
| Builder: | Cockatoo Island Dockyard |
| Laid down: | 1 May 1935 |
| Launched: | 28 March 1936 |
| Commissioned: | 21 January 1937 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 September 1962 |
| Reclassified: | Training ship (1956–1962) |
| Motto: | "Forward" |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Sold for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Grimbsy-class sloop |
| Displacement: | 1,060 tons (standard), 1,500 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 266 ft 3 in (81.15 m) |
| Beam: | 36 ft (11 m) |
| Draught: | 7.5 to 10 ft (2.3 to 3.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons turbines, 2,000 shp (1,500 kW), 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Complement: | 135 peace, 160 war |
| Armament: |
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HMAS Swan (U74/F74/A427), named for the Swan River, was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) that served during World War II.
The Grimsby class consisted of thirteen sloops, four of which were built in Australia for the RAN. Swan, one of the first pair constructed, had a displacement of 1,060 tons at standard load and 1,500 tons at full load, was 266 feet 3 inches (81.15 m) long, had a beam of 36 feet (11 m), and a draught of between 7.5 and 10 feet (2.3 and 3.0 m) depending on load. Propulsion machinery consisted of two Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons geared turbines, which delivered 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) to the sloop's two propeller shafts. Maximum speed was 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The ship's company in peacetime consisted of 135 officers and sailors; this increased to 160 during the war.
Swan's initial armament consisted of three QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mark V anti-aircraft guns and a quadruple .50 in anti-aircraft machine gun mount for close-in defence. From 1942, this was increased to four QF 4 inch Mk XVI guns in 2 twin mounts, with a close-in armament of a Bofors 40 mm gun and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The ship's depth charge load had increased to 40 by the end of the war.
Swan was laid down by Cockatoo Island Dockyard at Sydney, New South Wales on 1 May 1935. She was launched on 28 March 1936, and commissioned into the RAN on 21 January 1937.
Swan served as an escort and patrol vessel during World War II and escorted many convoys, including the Pensacola Convoy, in Australian waters and the South-West Pacific. On 12 January Swan arrived at Ambon escorting Bantam with reinforcements and remained there until 18 January, engaging bombers during raids on 15–16 January. In late January 1942 the ship was assigned to the short lived American-British-Dutch-Australian Command.
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Wikipedia