~ Watercolour of HMS Dainty (D108) by Jim C dated 1995 ~
HMS Dainty was a Daring-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy. Ordered in 1945, she was built by J. Samuel White at their Isle of Wight shipyard, being launched in 1950 and completed in 1953.
She spent the initial years of her service alternating between the Mediterranean Sea and British waters, before undergoing modifications between 1958 and 1959 and again between 1962 and 1964. After further service, including spells in the West Indies and Far East, she was decommissioned in 1969 and sold for scrap in 1971.
On commissioning, the four ships with DC electrics, including Dainty, joined the Mediterranean Fleet, forming what would become the 2nd Destroyer Squadron with the AC electric ships forming what would become the 5th Destroyer Squadron in the Home Fleet. The two squadrons regularly swapped between the Mediterranean and Home Fleets. Dainty was laid up in reserve in December 1955, but briefly returned to active service in February 1956 as part of an exercise to test the arrangements for raising ships from reserve. After returning to reserve in April, she returned to active service with the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean later that year.
On 29 April 1957 Dainty delivered emergency supplies, including 2000 blankets and 300 tents along with medical supplies and a team of doctors to the town of Fethiye in Turkey which had been badly damaged by a pair of earthquakes. On 2 April 1958, Dainty collided with the destroyer Solebay when coming alongside Solebay at Portsmouth Harbour, with both destroyers being damaged in the collision. Dainty entered refit at Portsmouth on 16 April that year, where her aft set of torpedo tubes was removed, allowing a deckhouse to be added containing additional accommodation, badly needed as the Darings' large crews meant that they were cramped.
Dainty was commissioned following the refit on 20 January 1959, when she became part of the 2nd Destroyer Squadron as part of the Home and Mediterranean Fleets. She was paid off into reserve again, along with the rest of the 2nd Squadron in January 1961. She was refitted again between 1962 and 1964. The remaining set of torpedo tubes was replaced by another deckhouse, while the two STAAG Bofors mounts were replaced by simpler Mark V utility twin Bofors mounts, and the Mark 6 director was replaced by the more modern MRS3 director. These changes greatly reduced the amount of maintenance required.
Dainty recommissioned at Portsmouth in April 1965 as a member of the 23rd Escort Squadron following the refit, serving in the Mediterranean and West Indies. She was back in home waters on 31 May – 1 June 1966 when she and sister ship Defender and the German frigates Karlsruhe and Braunschweig took part in ceremonies in the North Sea to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland.[18] Another commission in April 1967 saw her serve two years in Home, West Indian and Far East Waters.
