When Terrible became Sydney

At one time, most redundant Royal Navy ships would either be given or sold off cheaply to a British Empire or Commonwealth nation.

Look through any Jane’s Fighting Ships from years past and the number of ex-British ships still sailing that were way past their sell-by dates was amazing.

Take Australia for example. In the mid-1950s they had two aircraft carriers named Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney was originally HMS Terrible and Melbourne had been HMS Majestic.

The cruiser HMS Apollo was launched in 1934. In 1938 she was renamed Hobart.

The Royal Ceylon Navy took possession of the minesweeper HMS Flyingfish in 1949 after five years with the Royal Navy.

The frigate HMS Fal ended up in service in Burma and was renamed Mayu.

Chile has always done well by the RN. The frigates Seacliffe and Glace Bay ended up there.

Turkey had several destroyers from us, HM Ships Oribi, Inconstant, and Observer.

Persia, now there’s a name to conjure with from old schooldays. It is now Iran of course but in more friendly days we used to let them have our ships. The frigate Babr ex-HMS Derby Haven and the corvette Palang ex-HMS Fly served under the Persian flag for many years.

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