HMS ''Montford'' was one of 23 boats of the of

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in the 1950s. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in ''-ford''. This boat was named after

Montford, Shropshire Montford is a small village and parish in Shropshire, England. The village lies near the A5 road, on the north bank of the River Severn and is 3 miles north-west of the town of Shrewsbury. At the parish church of St Chad, Robert Waring Darwin, ...

. She was launched on 10 October 1957 and sold to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

on 9 September 1957. Renamed NNS ''Ibadan'', she was captured at the declaration of independence of

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

by independentists in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers and cre ...

. She saw action as BNS ''Vigilance'' during

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

and was sunk on 9 October 1967 at Port Harcourt.

References

Ford-class seaward defence boats Royal Navy ship names 1957 ships Nigerian Navy Nigerian Civil War Patrol vessels of the Nigerian Navy {{UK-mil-ship-stub