River class frigate

HMS Swale
Class overview
Operators:	World War II:  Royal Navy  Royal Australian Navy  Royal Canadian Navy  Free French Naval Forces  Royal Netherlands Navy  South African Navy  United States Navy Post–World War II  Argentine Navy  Royal Ceylon Navy; (later, the  Sri Lanka Navy)  Chilean Navy  Royal Danish Navy  Dominican Navy  Egyptian Navy  Indian Navy  Israeli Navy  Royal Moroccan Navy  Myanmar Navy  Royal New Zealand Navy  Royal Norwegian Navy  Pakistan Navy  Peruvian Navy  Portuguese Navy
Succeeded by:	Loch class
Subclasses:	RN group I, RN group II, RAN group I, RAN group II, RCN group
In commission:	1942
Planned:	30
Completed:	151
Cancelled:	2
Active:	1 (as a training ship)
Lost:	5 World War II 2 Suez Crisis 10 expended
Preserved:	2
General characteristics RN group I
Displacement:	1,370 long tons (1,390 t; 1,530 short tons) 1,830 long tons (1,860 t; 2,050 short tons) (deep load)
Length:	283 ft (86.3 m) p/p 301.25 ft (91.8 m)o/a
Beam:	36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draught:	9 ft (2.7 m); 13 ft (4.0 m) (deep load)
Propulsion:	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) (except Cam, Chelmer, Ettrick, Halladale, Helmsdale, and Tweed; Parsons single reduction steam turbines, 6,500 shp (4,800 kW)
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) (turbine ships)
Range:	7,200 nautical miles (13,300 km; 8,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) with;440 long tons (450 t; 490 short tons) oil fuel
Complement:	107
Armament:	2 × QF 4 in (102 mm) /40 Mk.XIX guns, single mounts CP Mk.XXIII Up to 10 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on twin mounts Mk.V and single mounts Mk.III 1 × Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector 8 x depth charge throwers, 2 x rails, Up to 150 depth charges
General characteristics (RN group II)
Range:	646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h)
Notes:	Other data as per RN group I
General characteristics (RCN group)
Displacement:	1,445 long tons (1,468 t; 1,618 short tons) 2,110 long tons (2,140 t; 2,360 short tons) (deep load)
Range:	646 long tons (656 t; 724 short tons) oil fuel; 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at 15 knots (27.8 km/h)
Complement:	157
Armament:	2 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) XVI guns on twin mount HA/LA Mk.XIX 1 × QF 12-pdr 12 cwt (3-inch (76.20 mm)) Mk. V gun on mounting HA/LA Mk.IX (not all ships) 8 × 20 mm QF Oerlikon A/A on twin mounts Mk.V 1 × Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector Up to 150 depth charges
Notes:	Other data as per RN group I
General characteristics (RAN group I)
Displacement:	1,420 long tons (1,440 t; 1,590 short tons) 2,020 long tons (2,050 t; 2,260 short tons) (deep load)
Range:	500 long tons (510 t; 560 short tons) oil fuel; 5,180 nautical miles (9,593 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement:	140
Armament:	2 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.XVI guns, single mounts HA/LA Mk.XX 8 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon, single mounts Mk.III, later; 3 × QF 40 mm Bofors, single mounts Mk.VII 4 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon, twin mounts Mk.V 1 × Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector Up to 50 depth charges
Notes:	Other data as per RN group I
General characteristics (RAN group II)
Displacement:	1,545 long tons (1,570 t; 1,730 short tons) 2,185 long tons (2,220 t; 2,447 short tons)
Complement:	177
Armament:	4 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.XVI guns, twin mounts HA/LA Mk.XIX 3 × QF 40 mm Bofors, single mounts Mk.VII 4 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon, twin mounts Mk.V 1 × Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector Up to 50 depth charges
Notes:	Other data as per RAN group I

The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. The majority served with the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other Allied navies: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Free French Navy (FFN), the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy (SAN).

The first orders were placed by the Royal Navy in 1940, and the vessels were named for rivers in the United Kingdom, giving name to the class. In Canada, they were named for towns and cities, though they kept the same designation. Originally called a "twin-screw corvette", the name "frigate" was suggested by Vice-Admiral Percy Nelles of the Royal Canadian Navy. Canada originally ordered the construction of 33 frigates in October 1941. The design was too big for the locks on the Lachine Canal so it was not built by the shipyards on the Great Lakes and therefore all the frigates built in Canada were built in dockyards along the West Coast or along the St. Lawrence River below Montreal. In all, Canada ordered the construction of 70 frigates, including ten for the Royal Navy, which transferred two to the United States Navy. Twelve were built in Australia for the RAN (four to a modified design).

After World War II, they found employment in many other navies the world over; several RCN ships were sunk as breakwaters. One, HMCS Stormont, was purchased by Aristotle Onassis and converted into the luxury yacht Christina O.

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