HMIS Khyber (J190)

History
India
Name	Khyber
Ordered	20 December 1939
Builder	William Hamilton and Company
Laid down	10 December 1940
Launched	17 February 1942
Commissioned	12 August 1942
Fate	Scrapped 1949
General characteristics
Class and type	Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement	656 long tons (667 t) standard 820 long tons (833 t) full
Length	174 ft (53 m) o/a
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Draught	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
Installed power	2,000  ihp (1,500 kW) 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 steam turbines
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range	2,800  nmi (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	60
Armament	1 × single 12-pounder 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun 1 × single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun

HMIS Khyber (J190) was a Bangor-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy, but transferred to the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War.

Design and description

The Bangor class was designed as a small minesweeper that could be easily built in large numbers by civilian shipyards; as steam turbines were difficult to manufacture, the ships were designed to accept a wide variety of engines. Khyber displaced 656 long tons (667 t) at standard load and 820 long tons (830 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 174 feet (53.0 m), a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 10 feet 3 inches (3.1 m). ^[1] The ship's complement consisted of 60 officers and ratings. ^[2]

She was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). Khyber carried a maximum of 160 long tons (163 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 2,800 nautical miles (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). ^[3]

The turbine-powered Bangors were armed with a 12-pounder 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun and a single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun. In some ships the 2-pounder was replaced a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun, while most ships were fitted with four additional single Oerlikon mounts over the course of the war. ^[3] For escort work, her minesweeping gear could be exchanged for around 40 depth charges. ^[2]

Construction and career

HMIS Khyber was ordered from William Hamilton and Company, originally for the Royal Navy as HMS Harwich in 1939. However, before she was launched, she was transferred to the Royal Indian Navy and eventually commissioned as Khyber. ^[4] She was a part of the Eastern Fleet, and escorted numerous convoys between Africa, British India and Australia in 1943–45. ^{[5] [6] [7]} Khyber was scrapped in 1949.

References

1. Lenton, pp. 253–54
2. Chesneau, p. 64
3. Lenton, p. 254
4. "FFL La Surprise (K 292) of the Free French Navy - Free French Frigate of the River class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
5. "Eastern Fleet War Diary 1943". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
6. "East Indies Fleet War Diary 1944". Naval-history.net. 30 December 1944. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
7. "East Indies Fleet War Diary 1945". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN   0-85177-146-7.
• 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.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-55750-048-7.