HMS Felixstowe (J126)
{{short description|Minesweeper of the Royal Navy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2017}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= |Ship caption= }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=United Kingdom |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}} |Ship name=HMS Felixstowe |Ship ordered= |Ship awarded= |Ship builder=Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew, Scotland |Ship laid down=8 August 1940 |Ship launched=15 January 1941 |Ship christened= |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned=11 July 1941 |Ship recommissioned= |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship reclassified= |Ship refit= |Ship captured= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship fate=Sunk by a mine on 18 December 1943 |Ship homeport= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class={{sclass|Bangor|minesweeper}} |Ship displacement=*{{convert|673|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} standard
|Ship length={{convert|189|ft|m|abbr=on}} o/a |Ship beam={{convert|28|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship draught={{convert|10|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} |Ship depth= |Ship hold depth= |Ship power=*{{convert|2400|ihp|abbr=on|lk=in}} |Ship propulsion=*2 shafts |Ship speed={{convert|16|kn|lk=in}} |Ship range={{convert|2800|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} |Ship complement=60 |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament=*1 × single QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun
}} |
HMS Felixstowe was a {{sclass|Bangor|minesweeper}}s built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
Design and description
The Bangor class was designed as a small minesweeper that could be easily built in large numbers by civilian shipyards; as steam turbines were difficult to manufacture, the ships were designed to accept a wide variety of engines. Felixstowe displaced {{convert|673|LT|t}} at standard load and {{convert|860|LT|t}} at deep load. The ship had an overall length of {{convert|189|ft|m|1}}, a beam of {{convert|28|ft|6|in|m|1}} and a draught of {{convert|10|ft|6|in|m|1}}.Lenton, pp. 253–54 The ship's complement consisted of 60 officers and ratings.Chesneau, p. 64
She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines (VTE), each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of {{convert|2400|shp|lk=in}} and gave a maximum speed of {{convert|16|kn|lk=in}}. The ship carried a maximum of {{convert|160|LT|t|0}} of fuel oil that gave her a range of {{convert|2800|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}.Lenton, p. 254
The VTE-powered Bangors were armed with a QF 3 inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun and a single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun or a quadruple mount for the Vickers .50 machine gun. In some ships the 2-pounder was replaced a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun, while most ships were fitted with four additional single Oerlikon mounts over the course of the war. For escort work, their minesweeping gear could be exchanged for around 40 depth charges.
Construction and career
She was built by Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew, Scotland and launched on 22 July 1941. She served in the Mediterranean during the Second World War. Thus far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy named after the Suffolk town of Felixstowe. She struck a mine on 18 December 1943 and sank east of Capo Ferro, Sardinia, Italy.
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
- {{Cite Colledge2006}}
- {{cite book|last=Lenton|first=H. T.|authorlink=Henry Trevor Lenton|title=British & Empire Warships of the Second World War|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=1998|isbn=1-55750-048-7}}
External links
- [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3184.html HMS Felixstowe at Uboat.net]
{{Bangor class minesweeper}}
{{December 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felixstowe (J126)}}
Category:Bangor-class minesweepers of the Royal Navy
Category:Ships built on the River Clyde
Category:World War II minesweepers of the United Kingdom