HMS Kingfisher (P260)

HMS Kingfisher (P260) was a Bird-class patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy.

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Kingfisher
Builder:	Richard Dunston, Hessle
Laid down:	July 1973
Launched:	20 September 1974
Commissioned:	8 October 1975
Fate:	Sold 28 February 1996[1]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Bird-class patrol vessel
Displacement:	190 long tons (193 t)
Length:	120 ft (37 m) o/a
Beam:	23 ft (7.0 m)
Complement:	4 officers, 19 ratings
Armament:	1 × 40mm Bofors gun (mounted aft) 2 × GPMGs

Construction and design

Kingfisher was laid down at the Richard Dunston shipyard at Hessle, near Kingston upon Hull in July 1973, was launched on 20 September 1974 and commissioned on 8 October 1975.[2]

Service

In 1978, Kingfisher and sister ship Cygnet were deployed on Operation Grenada, the Royal Navy's standing patrol off the coast of Northern Ireland to stop arms smuggling to paramilitary groups during the Troubles.[3] Kingfisher continued her patrol duties as part of the Northern Ireland Squadron through the 1980s and into the 1990s.[4]

References

1. "H.M.S. Kingfisher". Oldships.org.uk Archived from the original on 25 November 2009.
2. Prézelin & Baker 1990, p. 717
3. Roberts 2009, pp. 104, 128
4. Roberts 2009, pp. 180, 231

• Prézelin, Bernard; Baker, A. D., III, eds. (1990). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-250-8.
• Roberts, John (2009). Safeguarding the Nation: The Story of the Modern Royal Navy. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-812-8.