HMS Bridport (J50)
 HMS Bangor, sister ship of Bridport
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Bridport |
| Ordered | 6 July 1939 |
| Builder | Harland & Wolff, Govan |
| Laid down | 11 September 1939 |
| Launched | 29 February 1940 |
| Commissioned | 28 November 1940 |
| Renamed | HMRAFV Bridport |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1959 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Bangor-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 605 long tons (615 t) |
| Length | 174 ft (53.0 m) (o/a) |
| Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Draught | 8 ft 3 in (2.5 m) |
| Installed power | 2,000 bhp (1,500 kW) |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; diesel engine |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 60 |
| Armament | |
HMS Bridport was a diesel-powered Bangor-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed in 1940, she participated in the Normandy landings and the Bombardment of Cherbourg in June 1944.
Description
[edit]The Bangor-class ships were designed to be mass produced, requiring a minimum of resources and able to be built in small shipyards inexperienced with naval work. The diesel-powered ships had an overall length of 174 feet (53.0 m), a beam of 28 feet (8.5 m), and a draught of 8 feet 3 inches (2.5 m) at full load. They displaced 605 long tons (615 t) at (standard) and 770 long tons (780 t) at full load. The ships had a pair of nine-cylinder diesel engines that drove the two propeller shafts. The engines were designed to produced a total of 2,000 brake horsepower (1,500 kW) which was intended to give the ships a speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). Their crew consisted of 60 officers and ratings.[1]
The armament of the Bangor-class ships consisted of a 12-pounder 3-inch (76 mm) gun mounted forward of the superstructure and a quadruple mount for 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) Vickers machine guns aft.[1] They could carry 40 depth charges when serving as convoy escorts.[2]
Construction and career
[edit]HMS Bridport was ordered on 6 July 1939 from William Denny and Brothers, and laid down at their Dumbarton shipyard on 11 September 1939. She was launched on 29 February 1940 and commissioned on 28 November.[1] She was the first ship in the Royal Navy to carry that name.[3]
Bridport supported the Normandy landings in June 1944 and the Bombardment of Cherbourg on 25 June.[4]
References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Campbell, N. J. M. (1980). "Great Britain (including Empire Forces)". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Conway Maritime Press. pp. 2–85. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
