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PC55 decoy patrol boats (1917-1918/1921-1922)


Ships


Name No Yaard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
PC55, 5.1922- Baluchi     Barclay Curle, Glasgow, UK 1916 5.5.1917 1917 // 2.1922 sold 1935
PC69, 5.1922- Pathan     Workman Clark, Belfast, UK 1917 11.3.1918 1918 // 8.1921 internal explosion 23.6.1940


Technical data


Displacement normal, t

694

Displacement full, t780
Length, m

75.3

Breadth, m

8.20

Draught, m

2.44

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 Parsons or Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 2 Yarrow boilers

Power, h. p.

3500

Max speed, kts

20

Fuel, t

oil 164

Endurance, nm(kts) 
Armament

1 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV, 2 x 1 - 76/40 12pdr 12cwt QF Mk I/II, 2 x 1 - 356 TT, 2 DCR (30)

Complement

50 - 55



Standard scale images


<i>Pathan</i> 1939
Pathan 1939


Project history

The belief that Q-ships or decoys were the best counter to the U-boat threat led to an Admiralty order in December 1916 to complete 10 P-boats with a mercantile appearance, like the 'Flower-Q's. Although known for a while as PQ-boats the term PC-boat was finally chosen, and a further 10 were ordered, PC65-70 in January 1917 and PC71-74 in June. They were fully integrated in to the Q-ship system and used false names (as shown in the table). There were severe topweight problems in fitting false upperworks and derricks etc to such a small hull, and many had wooden girdling added to improve stability.

Modernizations

1930s, both: - 1 x 1 - 76/40, 2 x 1 - 356 TT, 2 DCR

Naval service

PC55 was transferred to Royal Indian Marine and commissioned in March 1922 (renamed Baluchi May 1922). PC69 transferred to Royal Indian Marine in August 1921 and renamed Pathan in May 1922; sunk off Bombay by internal explosion 23.6.1940, by another version, she was sunk by Italian submarine Galvani on the approach to Persian gulf.