HMS ''Murray'' (F91) was one of a dozen
Blackwood-class frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
(also known as the Type 14 class) of second-rate
anti-submarine frigates built for the
Royal Navy in the 1950s. She was named for
George Murray, who served during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Description
The ''Blackwood'' class displaced at
standard load and at
deep load. They had an
overall length of , a
beam of and a
draught of . The ships were powered by one
English Electric
N.ยบ UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail)
The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...
geared
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
that drove the single
propeller shaft, using steam provided by two
Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The turbine developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of .
[Marriott, p. 66] The ''Blackwood''s had a range of at . Their complement was 140 officers and
ratings.
The ships were armed with three
Bofors 40 mm guns in single mounts. The mount on the
quarterdeck
The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...
was later removed as it was unusable in heavy seas. They were equipped with two triple-barrelled
Limbo Mark 10 anti-submarine mortars. The ''Blackwood''-class ships had the same sonar suite as the larger s where the Limbo mortars were controlled by three sonars, the Type 174 search set, Type 162 target-classification set and the Type 170 'pencil beam' targeting set to determine the bearing and depth of the target.
[Marriott, pp. 55, 66, 69]
Construction and career
''Murray'' was laid down by
Alexander Stephen and Sons at their
Govan shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
on 30 November 1953,
launched on 25 February 1954 and completed on 5 June 1956. The ship is featured with other Type 14 frigates in the 1960
Norman Wisdom film ''
The Bulldog Breed''. The ship was also shown working with coastal command, practicing submarine hunting, in a coastal command training film from the 1950s.
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray
Blackwood-class frigates
1954 ships