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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive

Diligence BAR-18
HMS Diligence (F-174)


Diligence (BAR-18) was transferred under terms of the Lend-lease Act to the Royal Navy before completion and commissioned HMS Diligence (F-174)
  • Laid down, 7 June 1944, as Diligence a Maritime Commission type (EC2-S-C1) hull Maritime Commission contract (MCE hull 2658) at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard Inc., Baltimore, MD.
  • Launched, 31 July 1944
  • Delivered to the US Navy incomplete, 16 August 1944, as (AR-18)
  • Turned over to the Royal Navy for commissioning as HMS Diligence (F-174)
  • Returned to US Navy custody in 1946
  • Struck from the Naval Register and transferred to the Maritime Commission for lay up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet, Suisun Bay Group, Benecia, CA.
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in Taiwan, 19 March 1973, to Tung Ho Steel Enterprise Corp (PD-X-955) for $216,000.00. Withdrawn from the Reserve Fleet, 21 May 1973
    Specifications:
    Displacement 5,801 t.(lt) 10,920 t.(fl)
    Length 441' 6"
    Beam 56' 11"
    Draft 22'
    Speed 12.5 kts.
    Complement 525
    Armament
    one single 5"/38 dual purpose gun mount
    three single 3"/50 guns
    four single 40mm AA gun mounts
    twelve single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Propulsion
    one Worthington Pump & Machinery Corp, Harrison, N.J. triple expansion engine
    single propeller, 2,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Diligence 59k Diligence launching, 8 July 1944, at Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard Inc., Baltimore, MD. David Nixon
    Diligence
    19-N-83959, RG-19-LCM    		 98k HMS Diligence (F-174) in Chesapeake Bay off Port Covington, Baltimore, MD., 12 March 1945.
    US National Archives photos # 19-N-83959 & 19-N-83960, RG-19-LCM, US Navy Bureau of Ships photos now in the collections of the US National Archives.    		 Robert Hurst
    Diligence
    19-N-83960, RG-19-LCM    		 104k
    There is no history available for Diligence (AR-18) at the US Naval Historical Center
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    MARAD Vessel History Database
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 7 December 2018