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Hunt-class minesweeper (1916)

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HMS Belvoir c. 1917–1918
Class overview
Operators
Built1916–1919
In commission1917–1952
Completed88
Lost4
General characteristics (1939)
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement710 long tons (721 t)
Length231 ft (70.4 m)
Beam
  • 28 ft (8.5 m) (Belvoir group)
  • 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) (Aberdare group)
Draught8 ft (2.4 m)
Installed power1,800 ihp (1,340 kW) (Belvoir group) or 2,200 ihp (1,640 kW) (Aberdare group)
Propulsion
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range1,500 nmi (2,780 km; 1,730 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement74
Armament

The Hunt-class minesweeper was a class of minesweeping sloop built between 1916 and 1919 for the Royal Navy. They were built in two discrete groups, the earlier Belvoir group designed by the Ailsa Shipbuilding Company and the subsequent (and slightly larger) Aberdare group designed by the Admiralty. They were classed as Fleet Minesweeping Sloops, that is ships intended to clear open water. The Belvoir group were named after British fox hunts. Those of the Aberdare group were originally named after coastal towns, watering places and fishing ports, some of which happened to be hunts by coincidence. However, all were soon renamed after inland locations to prevent confusion caused by the misunderstanding of signals and orders.

Design

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These ships had twin screws and had forced-draught coal burning boilers; that is they burned pulverised coal[citation needed] in an artificially augmented airstream. One consequence of this was that they produced a lot of smoke, so much so that they were more usually referred to as Smokey Joes. Another was that if they were fed anything other than the Welsh Steam Coal they were designed for then the fuel consumption was enormous—one ship was bunkered with soft brown Natal coal and burnt 20 tons in a single day.

They had a shallow draught (8 ft (2.4 m)). Armament was one QF 4 in (100 mm) gun forward and a QF 12 pounder aft, plus two twin 0.303 inch machine guns. Their counter-mine equipment consisted of Oropesa floats to cut the cables of moored mines.

Service

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Six ships were completed as survey vessels, and the majority of the Aberdare group arrived too late to see service during the First World War. Thirty-five were cancelled after the armistice. Interwar, eight were sold out of service, one was sold to Siam, one was converted to an RNVR drillship and 52 were scrapped. The majority of the remainder spent the period from 1919 to 1939 in reserve around the world, with Malta and Singapore having most of them, so that on the outbreak of World War II there were still 27 available for service, to which a further two were added by requisition from mercantile service.

The 5th Minesweeping Flotilla, comprising Pangourne, Ross, Lydd, Kellet and Albury as well as the newer Halcyon-class Gossamer and Leda sailed from North Shields for Harwich late on 26 May 1940, reaching Harwich nearly 24 hours later. After coaling, the flotilla sailed for Dunkirk in the afternoon of 28 May, and was off the beach by about 21:30 hours the same day. At least two ships from the Flotilla (Ross and Lydd) were detailed to collect troops from the harbour mole. Ross alone took on board 353 men and one dog on this first night. The ships of the flotilla made a further three trips to Dunkirk in the following days, working at battle-stations virtually round the clock and returning to Margate for the last time from Dunkirk on Saturday, 1 June 1940. Sutton was also present at Dunkirk.

Five ships were lost during the war, and a further vessel, Widnes was beached in Suda Bay, Crete in May 1941 after being bombed by German aircraft. The Germans recovered and repaired the hull, pressing her into service as 12.V4. In October 1943, now known as Uj.2109, she was sunk by the destroyers HMS Eclipse, HMS Faulknor and the Greek destroyer Vasilissa Olga.

Ships

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The first group of twenty ships were ordered in 1916 and were part of the Belvoir group. One hundred and twenty-nine further ships were ordered to this Admiralty design between 1916 and November 1918 as the Aberdare group. Six of this group were completed as survey ships, while thirty-four of them were cancelled at the end of World War I. Among the cancelled ships, Battle and Bloxham had already been launched. Two more were projected to be ordered from Fleming & Ferguson, but these two were never actually ordered.

Many ships were originally assigned different names which were changed while building to avoid use of coastal locations as ship names.

Original Royal Navy service

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Name Pennant Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Disposed Status Ref
Belvoir group (20 ships ordered in 1916)
Belvoir Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 8 March 1917 July 1922 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Bichester Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 8 June 1917 8 January 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Blackmorevale Ardrossan Dry Dock, Ardrossan 23 March 1917 1 May 1918 Sunk by a mine off Montrose, Angus [citation needed]
Cattistock Clyde Shipbuilding Company, Port Glasgow 21 February 1917 22 February 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Cotswold Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 28 November 1916 18 January 1923 [citation needed]
Cottesmore Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 9 February 1917 18 January 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Croome Clyde Shipbuilding Company, Port Glasgow 22 May 1917 July 1922 [citation needed]
Dartmoor Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow 30 March 1917 21 February 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Garth Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow 9 May 1917 21 February 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Hambledon Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley 9 March 1917 July 1922 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Heythrop Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley 4 June 1917 July 1922 [citation needed]
Holderness D. & W. Henderson and Company, Glasgow 9 November 1916 August 1924 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Meynell D. & W. Henderson and Company, Glasgow 7 February 1917 4 November 1922 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Muskerry Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 28 November 1916 22 January 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Oakley Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 10 January 1917 18 January 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Pytchley Napier and Miller, Old Kilpatrick 24 March 1917 July 1922 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Quorn Napier and Miller, Old Kilpatrick 4 June 1917 18 September 1922 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Southdown William Simons and Company, Renfrew 7 July 1917 16 December 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tedworth William Simons and Company, Renfrew 20 June 1917 November 1946 Became a diving tender in August 1923; Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Zetland Murdoch and Murray, Port Glasgow 1917 18 January 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Aberdare group (129 ships ordered between 1916 and 1918)
Aberdare Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 1 January 1917 29 April 1918 3 October 1918 13 March 1947 Sold for mercantile use [1]
Abingdon J23 / N23 Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 30 November 1917 11 June 1918 6 November 1918 5 April 1942 Beached after bombing; broken up [citation needed]
Albury J41 Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 21 November 1918 17 February 1919 13 March 1947 Sold for mercantile use [2]
Alresford J06 / N06 Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 17 January 1919 25 May 1919 13 March 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Appledore Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon 15 August 1919 15 August 1920 Sold for civilian use as Kamlawti [citation needed]
Badminton Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding, Ardrossan 18 March 1918 19 May 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Bagshot J57 / N57 Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding, Ardrossan 23 May 1918 1 May 1919 1 April 1942 Converted to depot ship Medway II; sold 1947 [citation needed]
Banchory Ayrshire Shipbuilding Company, Irvine 15 May 1918 18 May 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Barnstaple Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding, Ardrossan 20 March 1919 1 December 1921 Sold for mercantile use as Lady Cynthia [citation needed]
Battle Dundee Shipbuilding Company, Dundee October 1919 Not taken up March 1922 Sold incomplete [citation needed]
Blackburn (ex-Burnham) Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 13 August 1918 17 October 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Bloxham (ex-Brixham) Ayrshire Shipbuilding Company, Irvine 11 September 1919 Not taken up 23 October 1923 Sold incomplete [citation needed]
Bootle (ex-Buckie) Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 11 June 1918 21 February 1923 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Bradfield Ayrshire Shipbuilding Company, Irvine 14 May 1919 October 1920 Sold for use as Champavati [citation needed]
Burslem (ex-Blakeney) Ayrshire Shipbuilding Company, Irvine 5 March 1918 19 May 1928 Sold [citation needed]
Bury Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields 17 May 1919 20 January 1923 Sold [citation needed]
Caerleon Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 6 December 1918 April 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Camberley Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 28 December 1918 July 1923 Sold [citation needed]
Carstairs (ex-Cawsand, Dryad) Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 19 April 1919 26 April 1935 Sold [citation needed]
Caterham Bow, McLachlan and Company, Paisley 6 March 1919 26 April 1935 Sold [citation needed]
Cheam Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields 2 July 1919 18 March 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Clonmel (ex-Stranraer) William Simons and Company 14 May 1918 July 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Craigie Clyde Shipbuilding 29 May 1918 18 May 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Cupar (ex-Rosslare) A. McMillan & Son, Dumbarton 27 March 1918 5 May 1919 Sunk by mine [3]
Derby (ex-Dawlish) J90 / N90 Clyde Shipbuilding 9 August 1918 4 July 1945 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Dorking 25 September 1918 26 April 1928 Broken up [citation needed]
Dundalk J60 Clyde Shipbuilding 31 January 1919 17 October 1940 Foundered under tow after mined [citation needed]
Dunoon J52 Clyde Shipbuilding 21 March 1919 30 April 1940 Sunk by mine [citation needed]
Elgin J39 William Simons & Company, Renfrew 3 March 1919 20 March 1945 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Fairfield Clyde Shipbuilding 30 May 1919 3 March 1920 Sold for civilian use in Brazil [citation needed]
Fareham J89 / N89 Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow 7 June 1919 24 August 1948 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Fermoy J40 / N40 Dundee Shipbuilding Company 3 February 1919 July 1919 30 April 1941 Damaged beyond repair by air attack; broken up [citation needed]
Faversham Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow 19 July 1918 25 November 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ford (ex-Fleetwood) Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow 19 October 1918 October 1928 Sold and renamed Forde [citation needed]
Forfar Dundee Shipbuilding 20 August 1918 March 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Forres (ex-Fowey) Clyde Shipbuilding 22 November 1918 26 April 1935 Sold [citation needed]
Gaddesden 30 November 1917 4 November 1922 Sold [citation needed]
Gainsborough (ex-Gorleston) Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields 12 February 1918 June 1928 Sold [citation needed]
Goole (ex-Bridlington) Ayrshire Shipbuilding Company, Irvine 12 August 1919 April 1926 27 November 1962 Broken up [citation needed]
Gretna Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields 11 April 1918 3 October 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Harrow Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields July 1918 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Havant Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields 24 March 1919 1922 Sold to Royal Thai Navy as Chao Phraya [citation needed]
Huntley (ex-Helmsdale) Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields January 1919 31 January 1941 Sunk by German aircraft off Mersa Matruh [citation needed]
Instow (ex-Ilfracombe) Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields April 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Irvine Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan December 1917 Inter-war [citation needed]
Kendal Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan February 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Kinross Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan 4 July 1918 18 June 1919 Sunk by mine [4]
Leamington (ex-Aldborough) Ardrossan Dry Dock, Ardrossan 26 August 1918 19 May 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Longford (ex-Minehead) John Harkness and Sons, Middlesbrough March 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Lydd (ex-Lydney) Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan December 1918 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Mallaig Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley October 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Malvern Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley February 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Marazion Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley 15 April 1919 March 1933 Sold in Hong Kong [citation needed]
Marlow Harkness August 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Mistley (ex-Maryport) Harkness October 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Monaghan (ex-Mullion) Harkness May 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Munlochy (ex-Macduff) Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley June 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Nailsea A and J Inglis, Pointhouse August 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Newark (ex-Newlyn) Inglis June 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Northolt Joseph R. Eltringham, South Shields June 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Pangbourne (ex-Padstow) Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew March 1918 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Penarth Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 1919 Lost [citation needed]
Petersfield (ex-Portmadoc) T8 / T21 Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 3 March 1919 11 November 1931 Wrecked [citation needed]
Pontypool (ex-Polperro) Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew June 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Prestatyn (ex-Porlock) Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew November 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Repton (ex-Wicklow) Inglis 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Ross (ex-Ramsey) J45 Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 12 June 1919 13 March 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Rugby (ex-Filey) Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow September 1919 25 November 1927 Sold [citation needed]
Salford (ex-Shoreham) Murdoch and Murray, Port Glasgow April 1919 [citation needed]
Saltash Murdoch and Murray, Port Glasgow 5 September 1917 25 June 1918 January 1945 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Saltburn Murdoch and Murray, Port Glasgow 29 January 1918 9 October 1918 31 December 1918 16 November 1946 Sold for scrap and wrecked [citation needed]
Selkirk J18 Murdoch and Murray, Port Glasgow 5 March 1918 2 December 1918 17 March 1919 17 May 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sherborne (ex-Tarbert) William Simons and Company, Renfrew June 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Shrewsbury Napier and Miller February 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Sligo Napier and Miller March 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Stafford (ex-Staithes) Charles Rennoldson, South Shields February 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Stoke (ex-Southwold) Charles Rennoldson, South Shields June 1918 7 May 1941 Sunk by German aircraft off Tobruk [citation needed]
Sutton (ex-Salcombe) Archibald McMillan and Son, Dumbarton March 1918 1947 Sold [citation needed]
Swindon Ardrossan Dry Dock, Ardrossan 25 December 1918 1 December 1921 Sold for civilian use as Lady Cecille [citation needed]
Tiverton William Simons and Company, Renfrew September 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Tonbridge William Simons and Company, Renfrew November 1918 19 May 1928 Sold [citation needed]
Tralee William Simons and Company, Renfrew 17 December 1918 2 July 1929 Sold [citation needed]
Tring (ex-Teignmouth) William Simons and Company, Renfrew August 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Truro William Simons and Company, Renfrew April 1919 19 May 1928 Sold [citation needed]
Wem (ex-Walmer) William Simons and Company, Renfrew 12 September 1919 22 April 1922 Sold for civilian use as Deshalpur [citation needed]
Wexford William Simons and Company, Renfrew 10 October 1919 1919 1921 Sold for mercatile use as Doomba [citation needed]
Weybourne Inglis February 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Widnes (ex-Withernsea) Napier and Miller June 1918 May 1941 Bombed by German aircraft in Suda Bay, beached, captured as Uj.2109 [citation needed]
Yeovil Napier and Miller August 1918 Inter-war [citation needed]
Aberdare group completed as survey ships
Beaufort (ex-Ambleside) 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Collinson (ex-Amersham) Ailsa Shipbuilding Company 1919 Inter-war [citation needed]
Crozier (ex-Verwood, ex-Ventnor) William Simons and Company, Renfrew 1 July 1919 1 July 1919 28 November 1921 Transferred to South Africa as HMSAS Protea [citation needed]
Fitzroy (ex-Pinner, ex-Portreath) Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 1919 27 May 1942 Sunk by mine off Great Yarmouth [citation needed]
Flinders (ex-Radley) Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew 1919 1945 Converted to accommodation ship 1940; Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Kellet (ex-Uppingham) 1919 1945 Sold for scrap [citation needed]

Follow-on service

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Several examples passed on from Royal Navy service for use by other civil and military operators.

Name Previous name Operator In service Disposed Status Ref
Champavati ex-Bradfield October 1920 [citation needed]
Chao Phraya ex-Havant Royal Thai Navy 1922 [citation needed]
Deshalpur ex-Wem The Cutch SN Company 22 April 1922 1927 Scrapped [citation needed]
Doomba ex-Wexford Royal Australian Navy 25 September 1939 13 March 1946 Converted to an oil lighter; scuttled [citation needed]
Doomba ex-Wexford Doomba Shipping Company 1921 4 September 1939 Requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy [citation needed]
Forde ex-Ford Townsend Brothers 8 December 1928 1 May 1954 Scrapped [citation needed]
Kamlawti ex-Appledore Civilian 15 August 1920 [citation needed]
Lady Cecile ex-Swindon Union Steamship Company, British Columbia 1 December 1921 1951 Scrapped [citation needed]
Lady Cynthia ex-Barnstaple Merchant 1 December 1921 [citation needed]
Lieutenant Captain Remigio Verdia ex-Queen of the Bay Spanish Republican Navy 1938 1939 Grounded, captured by Spanish Nationalist forces as [citation needed]
Medway II ex-Bagshot Depot ship 1 April 1942 1947 Sold [citation needed]
Protea ex-Crozier Royal Navy 30 April 1933 1935 Sold for merchant service as Queen of the Bay [citation needed]
Protea ex-Crozier South African Naval Service 1 April 1922 30 April 1933 Returned to Royal Navy as HMS Protea [citation needed]
Queen of the Bay ex-Protea Blackpool Steam Navigation Company 1935 1938 Sold to Spanish Republican Navy as Lieutenant Captain Remigio Verdia [citation needed]
Uj.2109 ex-Widnes Kriegsmarine May 1941 17 October 1943 Sunk by destroyers [citation needed]
Virgen de la Caridad ex-Lieutenant Captain Remigio Verdia Spanish Nationalist forces 1945 1960 [citation needed]

Citations

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  1. ^ uboat.net HMS Aberdare
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Albury (J 41): Minesweeper of the Hunt Class". uboat.net. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  3. ^ Admiralty Estimates for 1919 Archived 10 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine (appendix) accessed 25 October 2016
  4. ^ Admiralty Estimates for 1919 Archived 10 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine (appendix) accessed 25 October 2016

References

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  • British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, H T Lenton, 1998, Greenhill Books, ISBN 1-85367-277-7
  • Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I, Janes Publishing, 1919
  • The Grand Fleet, Warship Design and Development 1906-1922, D. K. Brown, Chatham Publishing, 1999, ISBN 1-86176-099-X
  • Out Sweeps! The Story of the Minesweepers in World War II Paul Lund & Harry Ludlam, W Foulsham & Co, 1978, ISBN 0-572-01011-7
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