HMS Shah (D21)
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HMS Shah in January 1944, en route from Alameda to Cochin via Williamstown, Australia. In addition to her usual complement of aircraft, she ferried Wildcats and Curtiss P-40s on her deck.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Name: | USS Jamaica |
| Builder: | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down: | 13 November 1942 |
| Launched: | 21 April 1943 |
| Fate: | Transferred to Royal Navy 27 September 1943 |
 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS Shah |
| Namesake: | Shah of Persia |
| Commissioned: | 27 September 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 7 February 1946 |
| Honours and awards: |
Burma 1945 |
| Fate: | returned to US ownership. Sold as merchant ship Salta; sold for scrap 1966 |
| Badge: | On a Field Blue, a Shah's crown Gold. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: |
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| Displacement: | 7,800 tons |
| Length: | 495 ft 7 in (151.05 m) |
| Beam: | 69 ft 6 in (21.18 m) |
| Draught: | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | Steam turbines, 1 shaft, 8,500 shp (6.3 MW) |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 890 officers and men |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 12-24 |
The USS Jamaica (CVE-43) (originally AVG-43 then later ACV-43), was an escort aircraft carrier of World War II that served in the British Royal Navy as HMS Shah (D21). Returned to the USA at War's end, she was converted into a merchant vessel and she was sold into civilian service in 1946 as Salta. She was ultimately scrapped in 1966.
HMS Shah was a Ruler class escort carrier in the Royal Navy. The ships in this class were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all preceding American-built escort carriers. Their hulls were designed as merchant ships but they were laid down as escort carriers and were not later conversions. All had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 m), a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 m) and a draught of 25 ft 6 in (7.8 m). Propulsion was provided a steam turbine, two boilers connected to one shaft giving 9,350 brake horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).
Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge–flight control on the starboard side, two aircraft lifts 43 by 34 feet (13.1 m × 10.4 m), one aircraft catapult and nine arrestor wires. Aircraft could be housed in the 260 by 62 feet (79.2 m × 18.9 m) hangar below the flight deck. Armament comprised: two 4 inch Dual Purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts. Her operational complement of aircraft carried changed over time, typically being some combination of up to about 18 Grumman Avengers, Grumman Wildcats, Grumman Hellcats, and Supermarine Walrus, plus deck cargo.
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