Allied Warships

HMIS Hiravati (4.215)

Auxiliary patrol vessel

NavyThe Royal Indian Navy
TypeAuxiliary patrol vessel
Class[No specific class] 
Pennant4.215 
Built byBow McLachlan & Co. (Paisley, Scotland) 
Ordered 
Laid down 
Launched28 Aug 1930 
Commissioned29 Sep 1939 
End service 
History

Completed in October 1930 as passenger/cargo vessel.
Displacement: 580 tons.
Dimentions: 60.9 x 10.1 feet.

Requisitioned by the RIN on 29 August 1939.
Returned to her owner in 1946. 

Commands listed for HMIS Hiravati (4.215)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt. Frank William Richard Saxty, RINR6 Oct 193929 Oct 1940
2T/Lt. Philip Munday, RINR29 Oct 194023 May 1941
3T/Lt. Belford Bruce Simpson, RINR23 May 19411 Dec 1942
4R M Snelgrove, RINR1 Dec 194229 Jul 1944
5T/A/Lt.Cdr. Percy Raymund Stevens, RIN29 Jul 1944mid 1945

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Notable events involving Hiravati include:


13 Jan 1941
Around 2100E/13, HMAS Canberra (Capt. H.B. Farncomb, RAN) departed Colombo to proceed to the aid of the auxiliary patrol vessel HMIS Hiravati (T/Lt. P. Munday, RINR) which was escorting the rockbreaker Nautilus and had got into trouble due to the heavy weather.

They were sighted around 1125E/14 in position 07°10'N, 77°56'E and it was found that HMIS Hiravati had the Nautilus in tow and that everything was under control.

At 1240E/14, HMAS Canberra parted company to return to Colombo where she arrived around 1715E/14. (1)

25 Oct 1942

Convoy AP 4.

This convoy departed Aden on 25 October 1942.

It was made up of the (troop) transports; City of Canterbury (British, 8331 GRT, built 1922), Egra (British, 5108 GRT, built 1911), El Madina (British, 3962 GRT, built 1937), Nevasa (British, 9213 GRT, built 1913) and Pulaski (Polish, 6345 GRT, built 1912).

On departure from Aden the convoy was escorted by the armed merchant cruiser HMS Ranchi (Capt.(Retd.) J.M. Alleyne, DSO, DSC, RN) and the escort destroyer HMS Beaufort (Lt.Cdr. S.O’G Roche, RN).

Around 1145C/28, in position 17°15'N, 57°21'E, the auxiliary patrol vessels HMIS Sonavati (T/A/Lt.Cdr. C.F. Smith, RINR) and HMIS Hiravati (T/Lt. B.B. Simpson, RINR) joined. HMS Beaufort then parted company.

Around 0800C/29, HMS Ranchi parted company with the convoy in position 20°21'N, 59°13'E.

The convoy was disbanded off the Strait of Hormuz on 30 October 1942.

Sources

  1. Report of proceedings of HMAS Canberra for January 1941

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