Dates: 1943 - 1943
H.M.S. Ribble (K251)
Built by W. Simons & Co., Renfrew
Laid Down: 29th December 1942
Launched: 23rd April 1943
Fate: 25th June 1943 transferred while under construction to the Netherlands as HNMS Johan Maurits van Nassau (K251)
Displacement: 1,375 Tons
The first H.M.S. Ribble
Launched: 1904
Fate: Scrapped 1920
It participated in the 1915 naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign.
On the afternoon of the 27th April 1908 , the eastern destroyer Flotilla, consisting of 15 vessels, in company with the scouts HMS Adventure and HMS Attentive, left Harwich for the purpose of firing exercise and night ,maneuvers. a little after midnight all the vessels having their lights masked, HMS Gala one of the destroyers came into collision with HMS Attentive being struck by the latter’s ram in the after part of the engine room and cut in two.
Fortunately in this case all the crew were saved, except Engineer Lieutenant F A Fletcher, who was drowned. HMS Attentive afterwards came into collision with another of the destroyers HMS Ribble which received damage sufficiently serious to force her to put back to Sheerness.
The fore part of HMS Gala sunk almost immediately, but the after part, with all the crew clinging to it remained afloat for some time, sinking while an attempt was being made to tow it into shallow water.
The third Royal Navy vessel called Ribble was another River-class frigate, originally to have been called HMS Duddon.
She was built at Blyth and launched on 10 November 1943. She was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy from 24th July 1944 onwards and recommisioned HMCS Ribble. Returned to the Royal Navy on 11th June 1945, the vessel was broken up in 1957.
The fourth H.M.S. Ribble was a River-class minesweeper launched at Great Yarmouth on 7th May 1985 and transferred to the Brazilian Navy on 10 January 1995, and renamed Garnier Sampaio.
Notes on River Class Frigates
The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-sub Marine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic.
The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy, with some serving in the other Allied navies; the Royal Australian Navy, the Free French Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy. Ten ships built in Canada were assigned to the United States Navy to cover for a shortage of suitable convoy escorts until American built ships became available. In the event, only two were commissioned in the UNITED STATES NAVY, the remaining eight were commissioned in the RN and RCN.
After World War II they found employment in many other navies the world over; several RCN ships were sunk as breakwaters.
River class ships were designed by naval engineer William Reed to have the endurance and anti-submarine capabilities of the Black Swan class sloops, while being quick and cheap to build in civil dockyards using the machinery (eg reciprocating steam engines instead of turbines) and construction techniques pioneered in the building of the Flower-class corvettes.
The River class design was used as the basis for the United States Navy’s Tacoma class (known to the Royal navy as the Colony class frigate), and the hull design was later elaborated into the Loch class frigate, and subsequently the Bay class frigate.
Other River Class Frigates and their fates.
Royal Navy (Group I)
H.M.S. Ballinderry (K255)
Built by: Blyth Shipbuilding & Drydock, Blyth.
Laid Down: 6th November 1941.
Launched: 7th December 1942
Commissioned: 2nd September 1943
Paid Off: 1945
Fate: Transferred to Norway as Glomma 1946, scrapped 7 July 1961 by Ward Barrow.
Displacement: 1,375 Tons
H.M.S. Bann (K256)
Built by: Charles Hill & Sons Ltd., Bristol
Laid Down: 18th June 1942
Launched: 29th December 1942
Commissioned: 7 May 1943
Paid Off: 5th December 1945
Fate: Transferred to India as HMIS Tir (K256). Broken up 1979
Displacement: 1,375 Tons
H.M.S. Chelmer (K221)
Built by Geo
