HMS Aspirant (W 134)

HMS Aspirant (W 134) was a Favourite-class tugboat of the Royal Navy during World War II.

History
United Kingdom
Builder	Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas
Launched	10 October 1942
Commissioned	3 May 1943
Stricken	1 May 1946
Fate	Returned to US Navy, transferred to Belgian Congo Otraco, deleted 1999
General characteristics
Displacement	852 tons light
Length	165 ft 5 in (50.42 m)
Beam	33 ft 4 in (10.16 m) (extreme)
Draught	15 ft 10 in (4.83 m) (limiting)
Propulsion	triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines, single screw, 1,600 hp
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	52
Armament	1 x 3"/50 caliber gun 2 x single 20mm AA guns

Service history

Aspirant was laid down in late 1942 at the Levingston Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas as BATR-42, launched 10 October 1942 and commissioned into the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease on 3 May 1943. She served through the war with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. Aspirant was returned to the US Navy on 20 March 1946, struck 1 May 1946 and transferred to the Maritime Commission on 18 November 1946 for disposal. She was sold in 1947 to the Moran Towing and Transportation Company and resold in 1948 to the Office d’Exploitation des Transports Coloniaux in Belgian Congo, where she was renamed Vivi. Her final disposition is unknown.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.