NAVYPEDIA

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, t	780
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

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.