 "Dittisham" was built by Fairlie Yacht and was launched on 23 October 1953 and completed on 29 June 1954.She was placed in reserve in 1955, being laid up at Hythe, Hampshire and Gosport.In 1968 she became a training tender to HMS "Ganges", the Royal Navy's boys' training establishment at RNTE Shotley, where she was used to teach seamanship to the school's students.