UBS ''Mayu'' was the first flagship of the

Burmese Navy The Myanmar Navy (; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. With 19,000 active personnel, the navy operates more than 227 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counter-insurgency operat ...

. She was commissioned on 25 May 1947 and saw 32 years of active service during which she participated in many counter-insurgency campaigns, safeguarding

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

's territorial waters, and also served as a training ship for the officers and ratings of Myanmar (Burma) Navy. The ship had been built as HMS ''Fal'' for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was transferred to the Burmese government in 1947 on loan, and permanently in 1948. She was decommissioned in 1979 and was converted to a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

History

As HMS ''Fal''

HMS ''Fal'' was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy, built for

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

and

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort duty in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Her keel was laid down on 20 May 1942 in the United Kingdom. She was first commissioned by the

on 2 July 1943. After working up, ''Fal'' served for a time in the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for ...

, before moving to

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

for service on the West African convoy route between

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

Takoradi Sekondi-Takoradi ( ) is a city in Ghana comprising the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. It is the capital of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana. Sekondi-Takoradi is the region's largest city as well as ...

and Freetown. By this stage of the Atlantic campaign the U-boat threat had been diminished, and ''Fal''s work was routine, seeing no enemy action. At the end of hostilities she was at Simonstown, and was transferred to the Far East, stationed at

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

. She was handed over by the British Government to the Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 25 May 1947 on loan to Burma.

As HMBS ''Mayu''

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Aung San Aung San (, ; 13 February 191519 July 1947), known honorifically as '' Bogyoke'' Aung San, was a Burmese politician, independence activist and revolutionary. He was instrumental in Myanmar's struggle for independence from British rule, but he w ...

accepted the transfer of the ship on behalf of the Government of Burma. During his acceptance speech, he renamed her to HMBS ''Mayu'', after

Mayu River The Mayu is a river in Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). The river and its surrounding region, known as the ''Mayu region'' or ''Mayu peninsula'', is named after the nearby ''Mayu Mountain''. It was formerly known as the Manlayuwaddy River. It is ...

Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...

state to honour officers and men of Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, who fought against Imperial Japanese forces at the river during the Second World War. Lieutenant Commander Khin Maung Bo was the first commanding officer of HMBS ''Mayu''. She took part in a 25 gun salute along with on 4 January 1948 to mark Burma's independence from the British colonial rule.

As UBS ''Mayu''

On 29 August 1948, was transferred permanently to the

Burma Navy The Myanmar Navy (; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. With 19,000 active personnel, the navy operates more than 227 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counter-insurgency operat ...

as a free gift and she was officially renamed UBS ''Mayu''. UBS ''Mayu ''fought alongside other ships of Burmese Navy and units of Burma Army in various battles during the turbulent years that followed Burmese independence in 1948. She was involved in the following battles: * Battle of Insein * Battle of Pathein * Battle of Kyauk Phyu * Battle of Mawlamyaing * Battle of Thanhlyin-KyiteKhout She served as

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of the Burma Navy throughout her service and was decommissioned in September 1979 after 32 years of active service. Following her decommissioning, she was designated as an historic war vessel and has been preserved as a

at Myanmar Naval Training Headquarters, Seikkyi.

General Aung San's acceptance speech

The following is the transcript of the acceptance speech made by General

for the hand over of HMS ''Fal''.Defence Museum, Yangon :I accept on behalf of the Burma Government the free loan of HMS ''Fal'' generously offered by His Majesty's Government. This is an auspicious occasion as, with the hand-over of this frigate, the Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve will have for the first time a Major Warship fit to withstand all weather conditions. In keeping with the national status of the country it will be desirable to rename this ship while she is being used by the Burma Navy. I propose to rename her after the River Mayu in Arakan with which the officers and men of the Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in active service during the last war had proud associations. As you are all aware it was along the beaches of this river that the Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve played a prominent part in the active operations against the Japanese during the famous Arakan Campaigns. Their courage, determination and resolute during these operations have won for them a well-deserved praise and I as a Burman take pride in their achievements. :I wish to thank, on behalf of my government, Lt. Commander Mitchell, his officers and men for bringing this ship safely to our hands. I now rename the ship HMBS ''Mayu'' and hand over to Lt. Commander Khin Mg Bo to take charge of its command under the orders of the officer commanding, Burma Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and the Burma Government. :25 May 1947

References

Publications

External links

HMS ''Fal'' at naval-history.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayu River-class frigates of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Tees 1942 ships World War II frigates of the United Kingdom Frigates of the Myanmar Navy Museum ships in Myanmar