HMIS Malwa (J55)

HMIS Malwa (J55) was a Bangor-class minesweepers built for the Royal Navy, but transferred to the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) during the Second World War.

History
India
Name: Malwa
Ordered: 12 February 1942
Builder: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
Laid down: 3 May 1943
Launched: 21 June 1944
Commissioned: 1945
Out of service: 1948
Fate: Transferred to Pakistan
Pakistan
Name: PNS Peshawar
Acquired: 1948
Out of service: 22 January 1959
Fate: Sold
General characteristics
Class and type: Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement:
  • 673 long tons (684 t) standard
  • 860 long tons (874 t) full
Length: 189 ft (58 m) o/a
Beam: 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Draught: 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m)
Installed power:
  • 2,400 ihp (1,800 kW)
  • 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:
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:

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. Malwa displaced 673 long tons (684 t) at standard load and 860 long tons (870 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 189 feet (57.6 m), a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 10 feet 6 inches (3.2 m).[1] The ship's complement consisted of 60 officers and ratings.[2]

She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines (VTE), each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 shaft horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). The ship 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 VTE-powered Bangors were armed with a QF 12-pounder (7.62 cm) anti-aircraft gun and a single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun or a quadruple mount for the Vickers .50 machine 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, their minesweeping gear could be exchanged for around 40 depth charges.[2]

Construction and career

HMIS Malwa was ordered in 1942, and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in India for the Royal Navy. She was commissioned in 1945, just months before the end of World War II. Malwa was a part of the Eastern Fleet, and escorted a few convoys before the end of the war.[4] After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, she was among the vessels transferred to Pakistan and renamed PNS Peshawar.

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References
  1. Lenton, pp. 253–54
  2. Chesneau, p. 64
  3. Lenton, p. 254
  4. "East Indies Fleet War Diary 1945". Naval-history.net. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

Bibliography
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