HMS Whitesand Bay (K633)
Encyclopedia
HMS Whitesand Bay (K633/F633) was a Bay-class
Bay class frigate
The Bay class was a class of 26 anti-aircraft frigates built for the Royal Navy under the 1943 War Emergency Programme during World War II...
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, named for Whitesand Bay
Whitesand Bay
Whitesand Bay is a wide sandy beach in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It stretches for one mile north from Sennen Cove.Whitesand Bay beach is popular with surfers...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. In commission from 1945 to 1954, she served in the Pacific
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
, Mediterranean
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
, West Indies and Far East Fleets, seeing active service in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Construction
The ship was originally ordered from Harland and WolffHarland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 11 May 1943 as the Loch Lubnaig, and laid down on 8 February 1944 as Admiralty Job Number J3932. However the contract was changed on 5 October 1944, and the ship was completed to a revised design as a Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate, launched on 16 December 1944, and completed on 30 July 1945.
Pacific Fleet
Whitesand Bay was commissioned under the command of Lieutenant-Commander B.C. Longbottom for service with the Pacific Escort Force. After sea trialSea trial
A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...
s at Tobermory
Tobermory
-Places:* Tobermory, Mull, the chief town of the Isle of Mull in Scotland** Tobermory *** Tobermory Single Malt Scotch whisky** Tobermory High School* Tobermory, Ontario, a town on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada** Tobermory Airport...
in August, and weapons testing at Portland
Portland Harbour
Portland Harbour is located beside the Isle of Portland, off Dorset, on the south coast of England. It is one of the largest man-made harbours in the world. Grid reference: .-History:...
in September, she sailed on 5 October in company with her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
. After exercises with ships of Mediterranean Fleet she sailed to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, arriving in December 1945.
Whitesand Bay was initially deployed in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
for patrols and trade defence, including the escort of colliers from French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
to Hong Kong. In May 1946 she sailed to Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand to refit, returning to Hong Kong in August to resume patrol and escort duties. In September she was deployed in the Formosa Strait, returning to Singapore in December. In February 1947 she was deployed at Hong Kong for trade defence and patrol duties, and took part in Fleet exercises.
Mediterranean Fleet
In March 1947 Whitesand Bay was transferred to the Mediterranean, along with , and for attachment to the Palestine Patrol. The ships sailed via SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
and Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, transited the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
, and arrived at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
on 22 April to join the 5th Frigate Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
. There Lieutenant-Commander R.F.C. O'Sullivan took command of Whitesand Bay and prepared for her new duty which was to intercept, board and detain ships carrying illegal Jewish immigrants to Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
. Boarding ramps and protective nettings were fitted, and special training for Boarding Parties was carried out. She remained on the Palestine Patrol until March 1948, while based at Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Whitesand Bay then returned to Malta, and in April was sent to Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
for guardship duties. She was refitted at HM Dockyard, Malta, from May to June, at which time she received a new Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Commander J.V. Brothers, and a change of pennant number
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
to F633. In July she took part in the Mediterranean Fleet's Summer Cruise Programme, and carried the Olympic Torch from the Greek island of Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
to Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
in Italy as part of its journey from Greece to London for the Olympic Games
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. In August she was at Argostoli
Argostoli
Argostoli is a town and a former municipality on the island of Kefalonia, Ionian Islands, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Kefalonia, of which it is a municipal unit...
for a Regatta, and also visited Bône
Annaba
Annaba is a city in the northeastern corner of Algeria near the river Seybouse. It is located in Annaba Province. With a population of 257,359 , it is the fourth largest city in Algeria. It is a leading industrial centre in eastern Algeria....
and Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, while in September she was deployed with the Flotilla and visited Sfax
Sfax
Sfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...
and Sorrento
Sorrento
Sorrento is the name of many cities and towns:*Sorrento, Italy*Sorrento, Florida, United States*Sorrento, Louisiana, United States*Sorrento, Maine, United States*Sorrento, Victoria, a township on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia...
.
West Indies Fleet
Whitesand Bay was transferred to the West Indies Station, sailing from Malta on 20 September 1948, calling at GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, before arriving at Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
on 14 October. There she carried out patrols, made visits to various island ports, and took part in fleet and joint exercises, along with ships of the Royal Canadian
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Far East Fleet
In July 1949 she transferred to the 4th Frigate Flotilla in the Far East Fleet, transiting the Panama CanalPanama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and calling at Pearl Harbour before joining the Flotilla at Hong Kong on 28 August. There she was deployed in patrols off Hong Kong and the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
, and took part in Flotilla and Fleet exercises. On 9 December she began a refit at the Hong Kong Dockyard, while her crew were accommodated at the naval barracks, .
Whitesand Bay resumed Flotilla duties on 18 January 1950, taking part in local exercises, and in joint RN/USN exercises in February and March at Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
before sailing to Singapore, where she was deployed for patrols off east coast of Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
in support of military operations against insurgents
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
. After further exercises and patrols in the Formosa Strait Whitesand Bay refitted at Hong Kong in June-July, before being detached for service with the United Nations off Korea in August.
Korean War
She sailed to Sasebo, JapanUnited States Fleet Activities Sasebo
U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo is a United States Navy naval base, in Sasebo, Japan, on the island of Kyūshū. It provides facilities for the logistic support of forward-deployed units and visiting operating forces of the United States Pacific Fleet and designated tenant activities.- History :Sasebo...
, to join the British UN Task Group, and in September took part in the Inchon assault landings
Battle of Inchon
The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations . The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital Seoul two...
("Operation Chromite"), landing a combined force of U.S. Marines and Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
in a diversionary operation at Kusan. She was then deployed with Task Group 90.7 for blockade duty, under the command of Commander A.N. Rowell. She returned to Hong Kong in December.
In February 1951 Whitesand Bay sailed to Singapore for support duties off the Malayan coast, supporting of anti-insurgent operations by carrying out inshore patrols and shore bombardments. In May she was deployed off Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
for anti-piracy patrols, visiting Jesselton
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
and Sandakan
Sandakan
Sandakan is the second-largest city in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the north-eastern coast of Borneo. It is located on the east coast of the island and it is the administrative centre of Sandakan Division and was the former capital of British North Borneo...
. In June she began her second UN operational tour, relieving in Task Group 95.22 off Wonsan
Wonsan
Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...
for patrol and bombardment duties. In July she transferred to the west coast and joined the British Task Group, carrying out survey work with other British and Commonwealth ships in the Han River
Han River (Korea)
The Han River is a major river in South Korea and the fourth longest river on the Korean peninsula after the Amnok, Duman, and Nakdong rivers. It is formed by the confluence of the Namhan River , which originates in Mount Daedeok, and the Bukhan River , which originates on the slopes of Mount...
.
After flotilla duties at Hong Kong from August to September, Whitesand Bay returned to Korea in October for her third operational tour. Deployed off the west coast she carried out bombardments in the Han River and supported military operations in the Haeju
Haeju
Haeju is a city located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay in North Korea. It is the administrative centre of South Hwanghae Province. As of 2000, the population of the city is estimated to be 236,000. At the beginning of 20th century, it became a strategic port in Sino-Korean trade...
estuary until February 1952, when she returned to Hong Kong where Commander M.W.B. Craig-Waller took command. Her fourth Korean tour lasted from April to June 1952 where she was again deployed with the Allied Task Group off the west coast for blockade, patrol and support bombardment duties. In July she returned to Hong Kong, then sailed to Singapore in August to refit. After post-refit trials in November she was deployed at Singapore for Flotilla for exercises and local patrol duties, returning to operate on the west coast of Korea in February 1953. In May she returned to to Hong Kong for maintenance and to attend Coronation Day
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth...
ceremonies on 2 June. On 13 June she sailed for Sasebo to begin her sixth and final UN operational tour, sailing to the Haeju estuary to assist in the planned withdrawal of ROK
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
troops. On the 25th the Armistice was declared.
In August she sailed to Kure
Kure, Hiroshima
is a city in Hiroshima prefecture, Japan.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 240,820 and a population density of 681 persons per km². The total area is 353.74 km².- History :...
where Commander M.E. Lashmore assumed command. She returned to Korea in early September to relieve as guardship off Yong Pyong Do. She returned to Sasebo at the end of the month, then went on to Hong Kong before being deployed in the Formosa Straits Patrol until November. Between December to February 1954 she was refitted at Hong Kong Dockyard. Resuming Flotilla duties on 8 March, she again patrolled the Formosa Strait, and acted as guardship at Pang Yong Do into April. Returning to Singapore in May she took part in patrols, escort duty and exercises before sailing for the UK, arriving at Portsmouth on 24 August.
Decommissioning and disposal
Under her new Commanding Officer, Commander D.N. Forbes, Whitesand Bay was prepared for Home Fleet service, however in December she was paid off and the ship's company was transferred to , then refitting at Chatham DockyardChatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. Whitesand Bay was placed in Category III Reserve and laid-up at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
without preservation or maintenance. Late in 1955 she was placed on the Disposal List and sold to the British Iron & Steel Corporation (BISCO) for breaking-up at Charlestown
Charlestown, Fife
Charlestown, Fife is a town in Scotland on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, adjoining Limekilns and Rosyth. Like Rosyth, Charlestown was home to a sizable shipbreaking industry in the mid twentieth centuryCharlestown is home to the The Scottish Lime Centre Trust which was established in 1994...
near Rosyth by Metal Industries. The ship arrived in tow at the Forth on 13 February 1956.