Modified
BLACK SWAN-Class Sloop ordered from
Denny of Dumbarton on 12th August 1942
under the 1941 Build Programme, the ship
was laid down on 28th July 1943 and
launched by Mrs Trinder
on 30th November 1944. She was the 5th
RN ship to bear the name, introduced in
1808 and last used by a destroyer sold
in 1920. Build was completed on 16th
June 1945.
B
a t t l
e H o n o u r s
FATSHAN
CREEK 1857 - PEI-HO
FORTS 1859 - KOREA 1952-53*
(*
Awarded for service with UN)
H
e r a l d i
c D a t a
On
a Field White, an Opossum suspended by
his tail from a
tree trunk all Proper.
D
e t a i l
s o f W
a r S e r v i
c e
(for
more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and
type name in Site Search
1
9 4 5
May
Nominated for service with British
Pacific Fleet
June
Contractors sea trials.
June
Commissioned for service
16th
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials.
Took passage to Malta for work-up on
completion of trials and storing.
July
Worked-up for operational service in
Malta.
August
Passage to join British Pacific Fleet.
P o
s t W a r
N o t e s
HMS
OPOSSUM joined the 33rd Escort Flotilla,
BPF at Hong
Kong and went to refit at Sydney, NSW
during mid 1946. In 1947 she returned to
UK to reduce to Reserve status at
Portsmouth. She was brought forward for
service in 1951 after the outbreak of
war in Korea where she served in the RN
element of the UN naval forces as part
of the 3rd Frigate Flotilla. She left
the Far East in 1957 and was transferred
to the 7th Frigate Squadron serving in
the South Atlantic. Two years later she
again reduced to Reserve and was laid
up at Devonport until 1960 when she went
on the on the Disposal List. Sold to
BISCO for demolition by Demmelweek
and Redding the
ship arrived in tow at the breakers
yard
at Plymouth on 26th April that year. The
name was again used when given
to a submarine launched in 1963 and
which served until Paid-off in the
1980’s.
