A well-known British destroyer which gave her name to a class of wartime vessels, H.M.S. Milne, is featured on the 100 k. stamp as the Turkish destroyer Alpaslan (Alp Arslan in "Jane's Fighting Ships"). Built by Scott's Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd. at Greenock, she was laid down on January 24, 1940, launched on December 30, 1941 and completed on August 6, 1942. A popular ship with her ratings, "Jane's" describes the Milne as " one of the most successful and handsome destroyers which have ever served in the Royal Navy".
The "Milne" class were the first British destroyers to have three power-operated turrets. H.M.S. Milne was transferred to Turkey under an agreement signed in Ankara on August 16, 1957 and was nominally handed over at Portsmouth on June 29, 1959 after a refit, during which the after tubes and secondary armament were removed and replaced by a deckhouse, squid and Bofors.
After being taken over by the Turkish Navy she was renamed Alpaslan in honour of a Seliuk ruler who lived from 1033 to 1072. He won fame at the Battle of Malazgirt, when his decisive victory over the Armenians and Georgians opened Anatolia to the Turks. "Haydn's Dictionary of Dates" gives the Seljuk ruler's name as Alvp Arslan.
The Alpaslan has a standard displacement of 2,000 tons (2,840 tons fully loaded). Her dimensions are: length overall, 3621/2 ft. (354 p.p.) x 363/4 ft. x 10 ft. (mean), 161/4 ft. (max) draft. Armament comprises six 4.7-in guns, six 40-m.m. Bofors A.A. (one twin, four singles) and two 3 pdr. guns for saluting duties. There are four 21-in, torpedo tubes, together with one triple-barrelled depth charge mortar (squid). Her machinery consists of Parsons turbines driving twin shafts for a designed speed of 36 knots.
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