HMS Chiddingfold (L31)

HMS ''Chiddingfold'' (L31) was a Type II destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was leased to the Indian Navy in 1952 where she served as INS ''Ganga'' (D94).

Construction and design

''Chiddingfold'' was one of 17 Hunt-class destroyers ordered from various shipbuilders on 4 September 1939. The Hunts were meant to fill the Royal Navy's need for a large number of small destroyer-type vessels capable of both convoy escort and operations with the fleet. The Type II Hunts differed from the earlier ships in having increased beam in order to improve stability and carry the ships' originally intended armament.

''Chiddingfold'' was laid down at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's shipyard at Greenock on the River Clyde on 1 March 1940 as Job No. J1115, was launched on 10 March 1941, and was completed on 16 October that year. ''Chiddingfold'' was the first ship of the Royal Navy to have that name, and was named after the fox hunt at Petworth, Sussex.

''Chiddingfold'' was long between perpendiculars and overall. The ship's beam was and draught . Displacement was standard and under full load. Two Admiralty boilers raising steam at and fed Parsons single-reduction geared steam turbines that drove two propeller shafts, generating at 380 rpm. This gave a speed of . Fuel capacity was of oil, giving a design range of (although in service use, this dropped to ).

The ship's main gun armament was six 4 inch (102 mm) QF Mk XVI dual purpose (anti-ship and anti-aircraft) guns in three twin mounts, with one mount forward and two aft. Additional close-in anti-aircraft armament was provided by a quadruple 2-pounder "pom-pom" mount and two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon mounted in the bridge wings. Power-operated twin 20 mm Oerlikon mounts replaced the single Oerlikons during the war. Up to 110 depth charges could be carried. The ship had a complement of 168 officers and men.

History in the Royal Navy

She earned battle honours in World War II for Norway, 1941 and English Channel, 1945.

''Chiddingfold''s work up was interrupted when the destroyer took part in Operation Archery, a Combined Operations raid on the German-occupied Norwegian islands of Vågsøy and Måløy. ''Chiddingfold'' shelled shore targets during the landings on 27 December 1941, and, together with the destroyer , sank the freighter and the armed trawler ''Donner''. After completing working up, ''Chiddingfold'' joined Orkney and Shetland Command, being employed on escort and patrol duties as far north as Iceland and down to the Clyde. From 15 to 18 December 1942, the ship formed part of the escort for Arctic convoy JW 51A, accompanying the convoy from Loch Ewe to 66 degrees N, before handing over to the ocean escort. On 22 December 1942, ''Chiddingfold'' left Loch Ewe with the next Arctic Convoy, Convoy JW 51B, leaving the convoy on 25 December. An attempt by German surface forces to attack the convoy led to the Battle of the Barents Sea on 31 December 1942.

''Chiddingfold'' was refitted at Middlesbrough from 18 June to 21 August 1943, before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, joining the 59th Destroyer Division based at Malta.
In June 1944, she transferred to the 22nd Destroyer Flotilla, also based at Malta. On 1 March 1945, the destroyer took part in a bombardment of Genoa, before leaving for British waters. She served with the 16th Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich until the end of the war in Europe. In June 1945, ''Chiddingfold'' was refitted on the Thames in preparation for service with the East Indies Fleet. ''Chiddingfold'' was part of the escorting forces for Operation Zipper, the British landings in Malaya in September 1945. She left Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on 4 September 1945 and arriving at the landing beaches on 9 September.

''Chiddingfold'' returned to Portsmouth in November 1945, and was reduced to Category B Reserve status on 25 March 1946. In 1950 she was transferred to Harwich and remained there until June 1952 when the ship was assigned to be loaned to India. In July 1952 the ship was towed to Liverpool for a refit.

History in the Indian Navy

The lease of ''Chiddingfold'' to India was announced on 17 June 1952. She underwent a refit by Messrs Crichton at Liverpool which was completed in June 1953.

She was commissioned as INS ''Ganga'' on 18 June 1953. The lease was extended in August 1956, and she was sold to India in April 1958. Along with two other Hunt-class destroyers in Indian service (''Godavari'' and ''Gomati''), she constituted the 22nd Destroyer Squadron.Blackman, Raymond V B, Jane's Fighting Ships 1963-4, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, London, p123

She was deployed as a training ship until 1975, when she was struck from the active list, before being sold for scrapping.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiddingfold (L31), HMS
Hunt-class destroyers of the Indian Navy
1941 ships
Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy