HMS Mermaid (1966)

School Frigate (1966) F76. See notes.

HMS Mermaid (F76) was a single frigate which spent only five years of service under British flag. She was not part of any official program, originally she was ordered for the Ghana Navy, launched and completed as a private venture. But when Ghana disengaged from the purchase, the order the British Government purchased it back for the Royal Navy in 1972, commissioned in May 1973. Next, declared surplus after the last British Defence white paper under the new government, she was purchased by Malaysia, replacing another ex-British frigate, Hang Tuah. A training ship from 1992, she was refitted again and stayed active until 2018, before being turned into a museum ship, still around today.

Development

From the archives, clydeships.co.uk
Hang Tuah was a single vessel originally built for Ghana. She was to have been named “Black Star” and to worked as the flagship for the entire Ghana navy as well as presidential yacht for Kwame Nkrumah, the then President of Ghana. Built by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the River Clyde, Scotland, she was still on the slipway when in February 1966, a military coup in Ghana ousted President Nkrumah. The new government cancelled the order due to its excessive cost, at the time estimated around 5 million global pounds (GBP). Yarrow wonder what to do with it but decided to free the shipway and so to complete the ship in what configuration she had, without any of the planned equipment and empty spaces. It hope to sell it to another navy, so she was launched without any ceremony in December 1966, again just to free space.

She was then completed in June 1968 as an empty shell without planning any specific equipment, weaponry or sensors, albeit she was fitted out, and original features made modular enough for quick modifications bound to any potential customer’s needs. However no sales materialized and the semi-completed vessel remained at anchor for several years at Yarrow, still awaiting a buyer. The company’s salesman were hard at work doing phone call and take planes at the four corners of the globe, starting with Africa. Meanwhile her hull was gaernering marine wildlife at Scotstoun.

In 1971 however, the Conservative government too, power in Britain and decided it would purchase the ship for the Royal Nav after some pressure to local MPs by the yard and city, to provide an indirect subsidy to the shipbuilder that was declared “vital for the nations” in times or acute economical hardships. So by April 1972 at last, she was transferred to Portsmouth Dockyard, the Crown’s own shipyard for examination of capabilities and installation of some fixtures, plans of completion, then fitting out at Chatham Dockyard, and refitting to British operational standards.

According to Conways, the british purchase after a commission examined her facilities, was to make her a training ship. The large rooms dedicated to its use as presidential yacht could be ideally suited for classrooms. So conversions started in October at Chatham, and the original design was loosely based on the Type 41/61 Leopard class, but with a mmuch shorter hull, flush deck, and single funnel due to the smalle powerplant. She was a small frigate to RN standards, albeit very beamy and thus, only 200 tonnes less than a Broad Beam Leander despite her short hull with a lot of bulk. Nevertleless, she remained an “odd number” in the RN, at least her maintenance cost was reduced as she had a small crew and limited armament, while having all the standards of RN frigates to do her job. She was mostly fitted to teach ASW, with the relevant Limbo Mortar radar and associated sonar and could teach AA defense with a four Bofors Mark 9 and gunnery with her 4-in Mark 16.

Design of HMS Mermaid (F76)

Hull and general design

HMS Mermaid measured 103.5 m (339 ft 7 in) overall for a beam of 12.2 m (40 ft) and draught of 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in). The conversion made the best of existing extra accommodation areas in the superstructure, and the former presidential suite became a large dining and conference room. Her final displacement as said above jumped to 2,300 tons as standard, and her machinery gave her a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph), just four knots shy of a regular ASW frigate. Her final complement amounted to 177 officers and men, including all instructors, and she had berthing accomodations for about c30 cadets or 210 total. However as soon as the government changed, she was put on sale again as budget was lacking for her maintenance as older Frigates could do the same job.

She had the standard enclose, peripheric bridge, a two-stage suprestructure but running decks all along, with her main gun close to the bow, a main radar mast, followed by a single funnel with the usual shape and cap with infrared reduction as other Frigates, and a short aft mas, followed by a large helidec without hangar, and the pit with the Limbo mortar following. She also had a perfectly square transom stern. The two service boats were located aft, and encapsulated life rafts located firther forward along the superstructure. So aeshetically she looked a bit unbalanced.
The hull being flush decked, the large quarterdeck could be used to land a small helicopter (like the Wasp) but there were no associated facilities.

Powerplant

The hull and machinery of the ship were based on the British Type 41 and Type 61 frigates, but modified to suit the requirements of the Ghana Navy. So the exhausts from the eight diesel engines were trunked into a single streamlined funnel with some IR reduction. Overall, this powerplant was composed of eight 16-cylinder ASR1 diesels, easy to maintan, operate and replace, foer a total of 14,400 shp (10,738 kW) on two shafts. This traduced into 24 knots (28 mph; 44 km/h) but procured the range for long cruises as intended for her first role, 4,800 nautical miles (9,000 km) at 18 knots.

Armament

The armament and sensors were kept relatively simple to keep the cost down, plus ease of maintenance initially. Forward of the bridge was her Mark 19 mount, twin QF 4 inch Mk 16 dual-purpose guns (same as WW2 equivalents) for which there was plenty of ammunition. For AA defence at shorter range there were four single Bofors 40 mm guns Mark 9 around the upper superstructure on four sponsoned positions, then the only ASW weapon, a Squid or Limbo Mark 10 anti-submarine mortar aftof the helideck in a well.

4-in/45 Mark 16 DP

True caliber 101.6 mm. Mass Barrel & breech 4,495 lb (2,039 kg), length 180 inches (4,572 mm) (45 cal).
Shell Fixed QF 35 pounds (15.88 kg) HE 38.25 pounds (17.35 kg) S.A.P., Filling 9 pounds (4.08 kg)
Breech: vertical sliding-block, recoil hydro-pneumatic 831 mm (33 in)
Elevation +80° H.A. twin mark 19., 15–20 rpm at 2,660 fps (811 m/s)
Max range 19,850 yards (18,150 m/45° and 39,000 feet (11,890 m) ceiling 80°.

40mm/60 Mark 9 Bofors AA

Installed instead of the heavy and completed STAAG mount. The OQF 40 mm Mark IX was the designation when used in the Mark V mounting. Max range, effective, 3,280 yards (3,000 m).

Limbo Mark 10

Developed in 1950 as replacement for the Squid they were widespread in these early generation ASW frigates. They equipped also the Austrlian Daring class DDs, updared cold war River class frigates, most RCN destroyers, and the SAF President class Frigates. The mounts could traverse fully, the three mortars could be angled up and down and fire a 12 inches (30 cm) 400 lb depth charge from 400 yards (366 m) to 1,000 yards (914 m). The 94 kilograms (207 lb) Minol Warhead could use both proximity and/or time fuse, and the whole system was slaved to the Type 170 sonar for traverse and bearing to gain reaction time. It created a pattern of three explosive charges roughly around the expected target location, creating a combined pressure wave with devastating effects. The Limbo remained active until the 1980s.

Sensors

Plessey AWS-1 radar: Mounted on foremast. There was also a common off the shelff navigational radar forward of this on a platform. The Plessey AWS-1 was specialized to detect surfaced persicopes.
Sonar Type 170: Hull-mounted, high-frequency attack sonar, range of 8,200 feet (2,500 meters), “searchlight” active type. Obsolete in 1973.
Sonar Type 176: Hull-mounted passive sonar, apparently only fitted to some Rothesay class frigates and HMS Mermaid. It, too was considered obsolete.

⚙ specifications (1977)
Displacement	2,300 long tons (2,337 t) standard
Dimensions	103.5 x 12.2 x 4.9 m (339 ft 7 in x 40 ft x 16 ft 1 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts 8× 16-cyl. ASR1 diesels, 14,400 shp (10,738 kW)
Speed	24 knots (28 mph; 44 km/h)
Range	4,800 nm (9,000 km)/18 knots.
Armament	2x 4 inch Mk 16, 4× 40 mm Bofors, Squid*
Sensors	Plessey AWS1 ASR, Decca 45n, Type 170B, Type 174 sonar, UA-3 EW
Crew	210
Facilities	Helicopter landing platform

*After refit Bofors 57 mm gun, 2× 40 mm Bofors gun

A strange career

In British RN Service (1973-77)

From the archives, clydeships.co.uk
HMS mermaid was commissioned on 16 May 1973 into the Royal Navy, pennant number F76. It is useful to recall that she was laid down in 1965… After working up was attached to the Far East, based at Singapore. Her light armament poor sensors fittings made her unsuitable in European waters, but she was “useful” by her presence in the Far East, notably in a role of ‘defence diplomacy’, showing the flag essentially like gunboats of old. And procure local training as well, or be used for representation and hosting roles thanks to her large dining/classroom. Whe HMS Chichester, guardship for Hong Kong departed for the final phase in the Vietnam war, she stood by in her place and in 1973, wa sused to evacuate British nationals from Saigon.

Back to home waters in 1976, she was deployed to protect trawlers off Iceland, as the Third “Cod War” just erupted. She had a ramming incident with the Icelandic gunboat ICGV Óðinn, on 12 March. On 6 May she suffered an even heavier collision due to a forceful bumping/ramming by the Icelandic patrol boat ICGV Baldur. She took part in a NATO exercise on 20 September 1976, and involved again in a collision with the minesweeper HMS Fittleton. She rammed her in poor visibility, ans the latter was flooded and sank with the loss of 12 personnel of the RNR. This was a naval peacetime tragedy that made headlines back home.

Mermaid before being paid off as decided by the new government, was to perform trials as a target indication ship, enabling a radar to pick out targets moving against clutter from the surface. Her career of five years ended in early 1977 as she was decommissioned on May 1973. Now property of the government, not sent back to Yarrow, a customer was looked for. She was the last British warship fitted with the venerable twin 4-inch guns in service for more than thirty years at this point.

In Malayan Service as KD Hang Tuah (1977-2018)

wiki CC
Her stay in British custody was short. It’s unclear if the government already looked to sell her before decommission, but she was Acquired in April 1977. She transferred to the Royal Malaysian Navy but commissioned at Southampton on 22 July 1977 renamed Hang Tuah. She was named after a legendary 15th century Malaccan warrior and admiral. She replaced her namesake, ex- HMS Loch Insh (a Loch-class frigate). The Malaysian Navy retained the British pennant F76 and she served as flagship of the Royal Malaysian Navy, alternating with Rahmat. She remained the most vital asset of the Royal Malaysian Navy but modernization pushed her aside as new, modern vessels arrived.

Hang Tuah thus was a training ship again by 1992, for which her base accomodation came in handy, albeit her weaponry and sensors at this point were antiquated. Between 1995 and 1997, she underwent a major refit, starting with her powerplant. She replaced all her eight diesels by only two new diesel engines with a combined output of 9,928 brake horsepower (7,403 kW) freering a lot of space, while still procuring a speed of 20 knots (37 km/h). Her venerable 4-inch guns was replaced by a Bofors 57 mm gun, the Squid mortar and sonars were removed and not replaced. The well was plated over and the helideck was enlarged. In 1992, Hang Tuah as a training ship assigned to Frigate Squadron 21. In April 2017 she was displayed and opened to the public at “Armada 2017” at Lumut naval base, having also her 40th anniversary. She was retired in 2018 and transformed into a museum ship, so she could be visited today.