HMS ''Forth'', pennant number F04 later A187, was a

submarine depot ship A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

. ''Forth'' was completed in 1939. She served at bases in Scotland including

Holy Loch The Holy Loch ( gd, An Loch Sianta/Seunta) is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The "Holy Loch" name is believed to date from the 6th century, when Saint Munn landed there afte ...

on the Clyde and at Halifax in Canada during the Second World War. During the war ''Forth'' was adopted by Stirlingshire as part of '' Warship Week''. The plaque from this adoption is held by the

National Museum of the Royal Navy The National Museum of the Royal Navy was created in early 2009 to act as a single non-departmental public body for the museums of the Royal Navy. With venues across the United Kingdom, the museums detail the history of the Royal Navy operating o ...

in Portsmouth. During her stay in Malta in the 1950s she was moored on the east side of Msida creek. In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. She left Malta in 1960. She was modified to support the Royal Navy's nuclear-powered submarines at H.M.Dockyard Chatham between 1962 and 1966. She arrived in Singapore in mid-1966 to relieve HMS ''Medway'' (former landing craft tank HMS ''LCT 1109'') as depot ship of the 7th Submarine Squadron. She left Singapore to return to the United Kingdom on 31 March 1971. In 1968, HMS ''Forth'' transported the first

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

(a small two or three seater) to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

References

External links

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Depot Ships of the Royal Navy
Auxiliary ships of the Royal Navy Cold War fleet auxiliaries of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde 1938 ships Royal Navy Submarine Depot Ships {{UK-mil-ship-stub