HMS Fly (J306)

HMS Fly (J306) was a reciprocating engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Iran in 1949 as IIS Palang.

Design and description
The reciprocating group displaced 1010 - 1030 LT at standard load and 1305 - 1325 LT at deep load The ships measured 225 ft long overall with a beam of 35 ft. They had a draught of 12 ft. The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.

The reciprocating ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2400 ihp and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 kn. They carried a maximum of 660 LT of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5000 nmi at 10 kn.

The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in Mk V anti-aircraft gun and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges.

Service in the Royal Navy
The ship was ordered on 27 May 1941 at the Lobnitz & Company at Renfrew, Scotland. She was laid down on 6 October 1941 and launched on 1 June 1942. She was commissioned on 10 October 1942.

On 2 November, she conducted anti-submarine exercise off Tobermory together with the submarine HMS H43. Few days later on the 6th, HMS Racehorse joined the two ships in the exercise. The next day, Racehorse was replaced by HMS Eriskay.

In 1946, she was put into the 12th Minesweeper Flotilla as their flotilla leader together with HMS Cadmus, HMS Acute, HMS Circe, HMS Albacore and HMS Mutine. The flotilla was dispatched to sweep the mine fields off the French, Dutch coast and islands.

Fly was decommissioned by the Navy in February 1947 and put into the reserve fleet.

On 30 July 1949, the ship was sold to the Persian Navy.

Service in the Persian Navy
She was reclassified as a frigate and renamed IIS Palang after being acquired by the Navy.

In 1966, Palang was decommissioned by the Navy''. ''

In 1972, the ship was stricken and sold for scrap.