History
United Kingdom
Name	Snipe
Namesake	Snipe
Ordered	8 December 1942
Builder	William Denny and Brothers,Dumbarton
Laid down	21 September 1944
Launched	20 December 1945
Commissioned	9 September 1946
Decommissioned	1953
Identification	Pennant number: U20
Fate	Scrapped in 1960
General characteristics
Class & type	ModifiedBlack Swan-classsloop
Displacement	1,350 tons
Length	283 ft (86 m)
Beam	38.5 ft (11.7 m)
Propulsion	Geared turbines two shafts
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h) at 4,300 hp (3,200 kW)
Complement	192 men + 1 Cat
Armament	6 ×QF 4 in Mk XVI anti-aircraft guns 12 ×20 mm anti-aircraft guns

HMSSnipe was a modifiedBlack Swan-classsloop of theRoyal Navy. She was laid down byWilliam Denny and Brothers,Dumbarton on 21 September 1944, launched on 20 December 1945 and commissioned on 9 September 1946, with thepennant number U20.^[1]

Snipe was originally planned to be built in the Royal Navy's 1940 Supplemental shipbuilding programme, by theClydebank shipbuilderJohn Brown & Company, but this order was cancelled, andSnipe and sister shipSparrow were re-ordered fromWilliam Denny and Brothers on 8 December 1942.^[2][3]Snipe waslaid down at Denny'sDumbarton shipyard on 21 September 1944, waslaunched on 20 December 1945 and completed on 9 September 1946.^[4][5] She was allocated thePennant number U20, which changed to F20 in 1947, whenSnipe, like all other sloops in the Royal Navy, was redesignated as a frigate.^[6][7]Snipe was the sixth ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy.^[8]

The modifiedBlack Swans were 299 ft 6 in (91.29 m)long overall and 283 ft 0 in (86.26 m)between perpendiculars, with a beam of 38 feet 6 inches (11.73 m) and adraught of 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m) at deep load.^[9]Displacement was 1,350–1,490 long tons (1,370–1,510 t) standard and 1,880–1,950 long tons (1,910–1,980 t) deep load depending on the armament and equipment fitted.^[10] TwoAdmiralty three-drum water-tube boilers provided steam toParsons gearedsteam turbines which drove two shafts. The machinery was rated at 4,300 shp (3,200 kW), giving a speed of 19.75 kn (22.73 mph; 36.58 km/h).^[11]

The ship's main gun armament (as fitted to all the ModifiedBlack Swans) consisted of 3 twinQF 4 inch (102 mm) Mk XVI guns, in dual purpose mounts, capable of both anti-ship and anti-aircraft use.^[11] Close-in anti-aircraft armament varied between the ships of the class, withSnipe completing with two twin and two single40 mm Bofors guns.^[12] Anti-submarine armament consisted of a splitHedgehog anti-submarine mortar, mounted either side of the 'B' 4-inch mount, together with 110 depth charges.^[13] The ModifiedBlack Swans had a crew of 192 officers and other ranks.^[11]

Snipe joined theNorth America and West Indies Station after commissioning in September 1946.^[14] Two apparent attempts at sabotage were noted in September 1946, with powder being found on a thermometer pocket on one of the ship's turbines. One of the ship's engineers was convicted atcourt martial of failing to report the sabotage, preventing it from being properly investigated, and was severely reprimanded by the court.^[15] In January–February 1948,Snipe took theGovernor of the Falkland Islands,Miles Clifford, on a tour of British dependencies in the Antarctic, with the ship helping to re-establish British bases inGraham Land and theSouth Shetland Islands.Snipe encountered the Argentine minesweeperSeaver and tugCharrue in the South Shetlands, and while both sides accused the other of trespassing in territorial waters, relationships between the Argentine and British crews were described as cordial, with food supplies being exchanged.^{[16][17][18][19]} The ship remained attached to the North America and West Indies Station, except for returning to theUnited Kingdom for refits and changes of crew, until 1952, when she joined a flotilla of frigates in theHome Fleet.^[20] In February 1953,Snipe landed a party ofRoyal Marines onDeception Island inAntarctica to destroy an Argentinian and a Chilean military base; an action known as theDeception Island incident.^[21]

After attending theCoronation Review in June 1953, she joined theFleet Reserve atDevonport. The ship was then transferred to Barry's Reserve Fleet Subdivision and placed on the destruction list for demolition by J Cashmore inNewport inMonmouth. It arrived in tow at the demolition site on 2 August 1960.^[20]

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.OCLC 67375475.
• Critchley, Mike (1992).British Warships Since 1945: Part 5: Frigates. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books.ISBN 0-907771-13-0.
• Friedman, Norman (2008).British Destroyers and Frigates: The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Hague, Arnold (1993).Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946. Kendal, England: World Ship Society.ISBN 0-905617-67-3.

• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland, US: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 1-55750-132-7.

• Black Swan-class sloops
• Sloops of the United Kingdom
• 1945 ships

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