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HMS Spey (K246)

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HMS Spey passing ships in a convoy during the Second World War (IWM)
History
United Kingdom
Name	Spey
Namesake	River Spey
Builder	Smiths Dock Co., South Bank-on-Tees
Laid down	18 July 1941
Launched	18 December 1941
Commissioned	19 May 1942
Identification	Pennant number: K246
Honours and awards	Atlantic 194-44 Normandy 1944 Burma 1944-45
Fate	Sold to Egypt November 1948
Egypt
Name	Rasheed
Acquired	November 1948
Fate	Scrapped, 1994
General characteristics
Class and type	River-class frigate
Displacement	1,370 long tons (1,390 t) 1,830 long tons (1,860 t) (deep load)
Length	283 ft (86.26 m) p/p 301.25 ft (91.82 m)o/a
Beam	36.5 ft (11.13 m)
Draught	9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load)
Propulsion	2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp
Speed	20 knots (37.0 km/h)
Range	440 long tons (450 t; 490 short tons) oil fuel; 7,200 nautical miles (13,334 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement	107
Armament	2 × QF 4 in (102 mm) /40 Mk.XIX guns, single mounts CP Mk.XXIII up to 10 x QF 20 mm Oerlikon A/A on twin mounts Mk.V and single mounts Mk.III 1 × Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector up to 150 depth charges

HMS Spey (K246) was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN) from 1942 to 1948, subsequently sold to the Egyptian Navy.

Spey was built to the RN's specifications as a Group I River-class frigate. She was laid down at Smiths Dock Co., South Bank-on-Tees on 19 July 1941 and launched on 18 December 1941. The ship was commissioned the following year and was the second ship in the Royal Navy to carry the name, after the River Spey in Scotland. She was adopted by the civil community of Letchworth in Hertfordhsire as part of Warship Week in 1942.^[1]

Spey was initially assigned to Western Approaches Command for convoy defence duties. She saw extensive service on convoy escort missions. On 11 July 1942 she shared the credit for the sinking of U-136.^[1] In December 1942 she was deployed to the Mediterranean for convoy defence and support of the landings in Italy, code-named Operation Torch. She returned to duties in the Atlantic and undertook operations until May 1944, when she was due for refit.

Following refit she sailed for Ceylon and by the end of 1944 was deployed for convoy defence and support of operations in Burma. In January 1945 this included support for landings on the northern shore of Ramree Island. In July 1945 she was prepared to support the proposed landing operations in Malaya. On return to the UK she was laid up in reserve.

Spey was sold to the Egyptian Navy in November 1948. She was refitted by Willougby (Plymouth) Ltd and sailed for Egypt in April 1950.^[2] During her service with the Egyptian Navy she is reported as having been used as a submarine support ship before being scrapped.^[3]

• 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.
• Lavery, Brian (2006). River-Class Frigates and the Battle of the Atlantic: A Technical and Social History. London: National Maritime Museum. ISBN 0-948065-73-7.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
• Marriott, Leo (1983). Royal Navy Frigates 1945–1983. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1322-5.

• Comprehensive details of the Atlantic convoys and their fates.
• HMS Spey at naval-history.net