HMS ''Chaplet'' was a
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
of the
Royal Navy that was in service from August 1945, and which was scrapped in 1965.
Construction
The Royal Navy ordered ''Chaplet'' on 24 July 1942, one of eight "Ch" subclass "Intermediate" destroyers of the 1942 Programme. She was laid down at the yard of
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.
History
In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its firs ...
,
Woolston on 29 April 1943 and commissioned on 24 August 1945, too late for service in the Second World War.
Service
''Chaplet'' was assigned to the
1st Destroyer Squadron based at
Malta in the early 1950s. She was given an interim modernization in 1954, which saw her 'X' turret at the rear of the ship replaced by two
Squid anti-submarine mortars. She saw duty during the
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
in 1956.
On 22 May 1959, ''Chaplet'' collided with the Icelandic patrol boat ''Óðinn'' when on fishery protection duties. ''Óðinn''s lifeboat was destroyed in the collision, which ''Chaplet''s commanding officer blamed on a misjudgement by ''Óðinn'', while ''Óðinn''s captain claimed that ''Chaplet'' had deliberately rammed ''Óðinn''.
Decommissioning and disposal
''Chaplet'' was decommissioned and laid up in 1961. She was sold for scrapping to
Hughes Bolckow
Hughes Bolckow formerly ''Messrs, Hughes, Bolckow, and Co., Limited'' was a well-known shipbreaking company based in Blyth, Northumberland.
Background
Intending to create an industrial park for dismantling obsolete warships in 1911, the compa ...
and arrived at their yard at
Blyth on 6 November 1965.
References
Publications
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1944 ships
C-class destroyers (1943) of the Royal Navy
World War II destroyers of the United Kingdom
Cold War destroyers of the United Kingdom
Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company
{{UK-destroyer-stub