Fearless HMS

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john sefton
Posts: 1816
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:59 pm

Fearless HMS

Post by john sefton » Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:07 pm

The Fearless first entered the Navy lists as a gun-brig of 180 bm in 1804. Measuring 80.5 x22.5ft and armed with 2-l8poundcr carronades it was built in Harwick and came to an untimely end in 1812 when it was wrecked near Cadiz.
Her successor was an ex-GPO vessel called Flamer used for survey work.
She in turn was followed by a Scout cruiser of 3440 tons mounting 10-4 inch guns. Built in Pembroke Dock in 1912 she was sold in 1921 and sent to Germany to be broken up.
In 1934 a destroyer, which gave its name to the class, was built by Cammell Laird, went into service and in due course joined Force H at Gibraltar. The
Fearless displaced 1375 tons, measured 318 x 331/2 ft and
mounted 4-4.7 inch guns as well as 8 torpedo tubes. While forming part of the escort to a convoy trying to get through from Gibraltar to Malta (1941) she was heavily damaged by aircraft of the Italian air force and had to be sunk by the Royal Navy. An assault ship is now the proud holder of the name.

One of two such ships-the other being HMS Intrepid, it is the most versatile ship yet built for amphibious warfare, she has, due to her unusual design, the ability to act like a floating dock. This enables her to lower herself by 9 ft in the water and allow landing craft to swim in and out through the stern.
The ship can accommodate, in addition to her complement of 50 officers and 500 men, an infantry battalion with all its equipment and a squadron of tanks or armoured Scout cars, or a complete unit of the Royal Engineers with their heavy equipment. The Fearless flight deck, which measures 165 x
75 ft is capable of taking all types of helicopters from the three Services including the Sea King MK 4, the Navy's largest troop carrying helicopter which is able to transport 40 fully armed men. The ship is equipped for use as a joint head quarters for naval and military commanders who are able to maintain close liaison with higher command, with other ships, and with the military force when landed.
HMS Fearless was built by Harland and Wolff Lid. at Belfast and was first Commissioned in November 1965. She displaces 12,000 tons, is 520 feet long and has a beam of 80 feet. Her defences consist of four Seacat missile systems for defence against surface and air attack and two 40 mm Bofor guns. The main machinery consists of steam turbines in two self-
contained units, each driving one shaft.
Gibraltar Philatelic. Cover from D Mabbs.
Gibraltar SG477
Attachments
SG477
SG477
Fearless.jpeg
Scan 193.jpeg

aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Fearless HMS

Post by aukepalmhof » Fri Oct 13, 2017 1:53 am

From1991 till 1995 she supported the sea training phase of intial officer training undertaken at Britannia Royal Naval College as part of the Dartmouth Training Squadron.

18 March 2002 decommissioned and awaiting disposal in Fareham Creek near Portsmouth.

December 2007 arrived Gent, Belgium for breaking up.

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