HMS Malcolm (F88)

HMS Malcolm was a Blackwood-class, one of a dozen second-rate anti-submarine frigates built for the Royal Navy in the 1950s. She was commissioned on 12 December 1957 and decommissioned in 1978. She was the second Royal Navy ship to be bear the name, and was named after Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Malcolm.

HMS Malcolm in January 1958
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Malcolm
Namesake: Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, GCB and GCMG
Builder: Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun
Laid down: 1 February 1954
Launched: 18 October 1955
Commissioned: 12 December 1957
Identification: Pennant number: F88
Fate: Scrapped in 1978
General characteristics
Class and type: Blackwood-class frigate
Displacement: 1,180 tons
Tons burthen: 1,456 tons
Length: 310 ft 0 in (94.49 m)
Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
Draught: 15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion: Two Babcock & Wilcox 550psi boilers were fitted with two English Electric steam turbines producing a total of 15,000 shp (11 MW) on one shaft
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h)
Range: 5,200 nmi (9,630 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement: 140
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar: Type 978 navigation
  • Sonar: Type 162 target classification
  • Sonar: Type 170 attack
  • Sonar: Type 174 search
Armament:

The Cod Wars

Just after she was commissioned, a dispute started in the North Atlantic. Relations between the United Kingdom and Iceland deteriorated and there was concern that the Landhelgisgæsla (the Icelandic Coast Guard) might threaten British fishermen.

Ensign of the Landhelgisgæsla

Malcolm joined the Fishery Patrol Squadron in April 1959, continuing on these duties until 1965.[1] Malcolm was part of a five-ship group that was deployed to Iceland for fishery protection duties in what became known as the Cod Wars. She operated out of Edinburgh during the first Cod War,[2] and from Rosyth after that.

Malcolm was refitted at Rosyth from February 1965 until March 1966, when she rejoined the Fishery Patrol Squadron.[1] In 1967[lower-alpha 1] Malcolm joined the 20th Frigate Squadron based at Londonderry. Duties included training with submarines while continuing to carry out fishery protection patrols.[3][4]

In December 1970, Kevin McNamara MP raised concerns that Malcolm would not be replaced by another frigate after its return to home waters, stressing that Malcolm's medical support was essential to fishing operations off Iceland. The Ministry of Defence decided not to replace Malcolm immediately, probably because the situation had calmed somewhat (1970 was between the first and second Cod Wars). Responsibility for supporting the fishing fleet was henceforth the Department of Trade and Industry's.[5]

The dispute ended in 1976. Two years later, Malcolm was decommissioned. She was considered too small to act as a modern frigate and therefore unable to continue service into the 1980s.

Notes
  1. February according to Critchley,[1] March according to Navy News.[3]

References
  1. Critchley 1992, p. 93
  2. "The Parish Magazine of St. Faith, Havant with St. Nicholas, Langstone". Archived from the original on 17 May 2008.
  3. "Malcolm seems to follow storms". Navy News. May 1968. p. 7. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. Critchley 1992, pp. 90, 92–93
  5. "Fishing Fleet, Icelandic Waters". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 808. Parliament of the United Kingdom. 18 December 1970. Retrieved 7 June 2015.

Publications


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