Castle-class corvette

Last updated

HMS Denbigh Castle IWM FL 6032.jpg
Class overview
NameCastle class
Operators
Preceded by Flower class
Succeeded byNone
Planned95
Completed44
Cancelled51
Lost3
Retired41
General characteristics
Type Corvette
Displacement1,060 long tons (1,077 t)
Length252 ft (77 m)
Beam37 ft (11 m)
Draught10 ft (3.0 m)
Installed power2,750 hp (2.05 MW)
Propulsion
  • 2 × water-tube boilers
  • 1 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range9,500 nmi (17,600 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement112
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 272 radar
  • Type 144Q sonar
  • Type 147B sonar
Armament

The Castle-class corvette was an ocean going convoy escort developed by the United Kingdom during the Second World War. It was the follow-on to the Flower-class corvette, and designed to be built in shipyards that were producing the Flowers. The Castle-class was a general improvement over the smaller Flowers which were designed for coastal rather than open ocean use.

Contents

The Castle-class corvettes started appearing in service during late 1943.

Background

In mid-1939, the Admiralty ordered 175 Flower-class corvettes for protecting shipping on the east coast of Britain. They were designed to be built in large numbers in small shipyards without propulsion and other components (mainly gearboxes, but also guns) then in short supply so not compete with other warships for construction. By the time the Flowers began entering service in late-1940, due to their long range they were required to undertake missions beyond coastal waters. [2] [3] The Flowers were unsuited for open-ocean escort missions in the North Atlantic, especially in poor weather; they lacked speed, endurance, and habitability [3] [4] but became the mainstay of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force protecting convoys crossing the Atlantic.

The Royal Navy recognized the limitations of the Flower and began designing an open-ocean escort in November 1940, [5] which became the River-class frigate. [6] The larger Rivers were too expensive to produce at the required rate and needed larger slipways. In response, the Loch-class frigate was developed in late-1942, which was developed from the River and designed for prefabricated construction. [7] The Castle was developed from a proposal by Smith's Dock Company – who had designed the Flower-class – for a stretched Flower. [8] The result was a scaled-down version of the Loch for shipyards [9] that only built corvettes using mainly traditional methods.

The design was approved in May 1943 [8] and 96 Castles were ordered from yards in the UK and Canada. Fifteen British and all 37 Canadian ships were later cancelled; [9] Canada receiving twelve British-built ships instead. [8] The UK completed a further five as convoy rescue ships for its Merchant Navy. Four became weather ships after the war. [9]

Design

The Castle resembled later Flowers with an extended forecastle and mast behind the bridge, but was 135 tons heavier and 47 feet longer. The Admiralty Experiment Works at Haslar developed an improved hull form which, in combination with the increased length, made the Castle at least half a knot faster than the Flower despite using the same engine. [8] The Castle also had a single-screw. [10] A lattice mainmast was used instead of the pole version fitted to the Flowers.

Construction used mainly traditional methods with as much welding as possible. Scantling was based on the Flower, but lightened in some areas. The wireless office [8] (the same as on the Loch [9] ), the radar office, and the lattice mast were installed as prefabricated units. [8]

The Castle was armed with a Squid anti-submarine mortar, directed by Type 145 and 147B ASDIC. [8] The Flower used the older Hedgehog mortar [5] and could not be fitted with Squid. [11] The first operational Type 147 and Squid were installed aboard HMS Hadleigh Castle in September 1943. [12] [8]

In place of the BL 4-inch Mk IX main gun, the Castles had the new QF 4-inch Mk XIX gun on a High-Angle/Low-Angle mounting which could be used against aircraft as well as surface targets such as submarines.

In service

The Castle was criticized for being barely fast enough to fight German Type VII submarines and difficult to handle at low speed. [8]

Ships

Royal Canadian Navy

The following vessels were all originally built for the Royal Navy, but were transferred to the RCN on completion (for details of builders and construction dates see under Royal Navy below). All their pennant numbers (except Hedingham Castle, which was never completed), as well as their names, were changed when transferred.

Royal Navy

The first of the Castle-class were the prototypes Hadleigh Castle and Kenilworth Castle, ordered on 9 December 1942; another 12 vessels were also ordered on 9 December, also under the 1942 War Programme. The remaining eighty-one ships were all ordered for the RN under the 1943 War Programme, of which thirty were completed. Fifty-one of these ships (15 from UK shipyards and 36 from Canadian shipyards) were cancelled late in 1943.

Castle-class corvettes of the Royal Navy[ citation needed ]
Name Pennant Hull builderOrderedLaid downLaunchedCommissioned Paid off Fate
Hadleigh Castle K355 Smiths Dock Company 9 Dec 19424 Apr 194321 Jun 194318 Sep 1943Aug 1946Scrapped, Jan 1959
Kenilworth Castle K420 Smiths Dock Company 9 Dec 19427 May 194317 Aug 194322 Nov 19431948Scrapped, 20 Jun 1959
Allington Castle K689 Fleming & Ferguson 9 Dec 1942
(a)		22 Jul 194329 Feb 194419 June 19441947Scrapped 1958
Bamborough Castle K412 John Lewis & Co. Ltd 9 Dec 19421 Jul 194311 Jan 194430 May 19441950Scrapped 22 May 1959
Caistor Castle K690 John Lewis & Co. Ltd 9 Dec 194226 Aug 194322 May 194429 September 19441947Scrapped Mar 1956
Denbigh Castle K696 John Lewis & Co. Ltd 9 Dec 194230 Sep 19435 Aug 194430 December 1944Declared constructive total loss, 13 Feb 1945
Farnham Castle K413 John Crown & Sons Ltd 9 Dec 194225 Jun 194325 Apr 194431 Jan 19451947Scrapped, 31 Oct 1960
Hedingham Castle K529 John Crown & Sons Ltd 9 Dec 19422 Nov 194330 Oct 194412 May 1945Aug 1945Scrapped, Apr 1958
Lancaster Castle K691 Fleming & Ferguson 9 Dec 194210 Sep 194314 Apr 194415 Sep 19441947Scrapped, 20 Jun 1959
Maiden Castle K443 Fleming & Ferguson 9 Dec 194219438 Jun 1944November 1944Became convoy rescue ship Empire Lifeguard before completion; Scrapped, 22 Jul 1955
Norham Castle (ex-​Totnes Castle)K447 A. & J. Inglis 9 Dec 194230 Sep 194312 Apr 19446 Sep 1944Transferred to Canada as HMCS Humberstone 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1947
Oakham Castle K530 A. & J. Inglis 9 Dec 194230 Sep 194320 Jul 194410 Dec 19441950Became the weather ship Weather Reporter 1957
Pembroke Castle K450 Ferguson Shipbuilders 9 Dec 19423 Jun 194312 Feb 194429 June 1944Transferred to Canada as HMCS Tillsonburg in 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1947; Sold to Republic of China as Kao An 1952
Rayleigh Castle K695 Ferguson Shipbuilders 9 Dec 1942194312 Jun 1944Oct 1944Completed as convoy rescue ship Empire Rest
Alnwick Castle K405 George Brown & Co. 19 Jan 194319433 Oct 19441957Broken up Dec 1958
Barnard Castle K594 George Brown & Co. 19433 Oct 1944completed 1945 as convoy rescue ship Empire Shelter
Flint Castle K383 Henry Robb, at Leith20 Apr 19431 Sep 194331 Dec 1943Mar 1956Broken up 10 Jul 1958
Guildford Castle K378Henry Robb, at Leith25 May 194313 Nov 194311 Mar 1944to Canada as HMCS Hespeler, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1946 (later SS Chilcotin)
Hedingham Castle K491Henry Robb, at Leith23 Jul 194326 Jan 194410 May 1944to Canada as HMCS Orangeville, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1947; to Republic of China Navy 1951 as Te An
Knaresborough Castle K389Blyth Dry Dock22 Apr 19431 Sep 19435 April 19441947Broken up 16 Mar 1956
Launceston Castle K397Blyth Dry Dock27 May 194327 Nov 194320 June 19441947Broken up 3 Aug 1959
Sandgate Castle K473Smiths Dock, at Middlesbrough23 Jun 194328 Dec 194318 May 194422 Nov 1945to Canada as HMCS St. Thomas, 1944; sold for mercantile service 1946 (later SS Camosun III)
Tamworth Castle K393Smiths Dock, at Middlesbrough25 Aug 194326 Jan 19443 Jul 194417 Feb 1946to Canada as HMCS Kincardine; sold for mercantile service 1946
Walmer Castle K405Smiths Dock, at Middlesbrough23 Sep 194310 Mar 19445 Sep 194416 Nov 1945to Canada as HMCS Leaside; sold for mercantile service 1946 (later SS Coquitlam II)
York Castle Ferguson Brothers, Port Glasgow194420 Sep 1944completed Feb 1945 as convoy rescue ship SS Empire Comfort
Hever Castle Blyth Dry Dock29 June 194324 Feb 194415 Aug 1944to Canada as HMCS Copper Cliff, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1947, then became Chinese (People's Liberation Army) 1949
Leeds Castle K384 William Pickersgill & Sons 23 Jan 194322 Apr 194312 Oct 194315 Feb 1944Nov 1956broken up 5 Jun 1958
Morpeth Castle K693 William Pickersgill & Sons 23 Jan 194323 Jun 194326 Nov 194313 Jul 19441946broken up 9 Aug 1960
Nunney Castle K446 William Pickersgill & Sons 23 Jan 194312 Aug 194326 Jan 19448 Oct 1944to Canada as HMCS Bowmanville, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1946, then became Chinese (People's Liberation Army) Kuang Chou 1949
Oxford Castle K692Harland and Wolff23 Jan 194321 Jun 194311 Dec 194310 Mar 19441946broken up 6 Sep 1960
Pevensey Castle K449Harland and Wolff23 Jan 194321 Jun 194311 Jan 194410 Jun 1944Feb 1946Became weather ship Weather Monitor in 1959
Rising Castle K398Harland and Wolff23 Jan 194321 Jun 19438 Feb 194426 Jun 194414 Mar 1946to Canada as HMCS Arnprior, 1944; transferred to Uruguay as Montevideo
Scarborough Castle K536Fleming & Ferguson23 Jan 194319448 Sep 1944Jan 1945Completed as convoy rescue ship ( Empire Peacemaker )
Sherborne Castle K453Harland and Wolff23 Jan 194321 June 194324 Feb 194414 Jul 19448 Mar 1946to Canada as HMCS Petrolia, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1946
Tintagel Castle K399 Ailsa Shipbuilding Company 23 Jan 194329 April 194313 Dec 19437 Apr 1944Aug 1956Broken up Jun 1958
Wolvesey Castle K461 Ailsa Shipbuilding Company 23 Jan 19431 Jun 194324 Feb 194415 Jun 194415 Feb 1946to Canada as HMCS Huntsville, 1944; Sold for mercantile service 1947
Amberley Castle K386 S P Austin & Son Ltd 2 Feb 194331 May 194325 Nov 194324 Nov 19441947Became the weather ship Weather Adviser in 1960
Berkeley Castle K387 Barclay Curle 2 Feb 194323 Apr 194319 Aug 194318 Nov 19441946Scrapped 24 February 1956
Carisbrooke Castle K379 Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company 2 Feb 194312 Mar 194331 Jul 194317 Nov 19431947Scrapped 14 June 1958
Dumbarton Castle K388 Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company 2 Feb 19436 May 194328 Sep 194325 Feb 19441947Scrapped March 1961
Hurst Castle K416 Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company 2 Feb 19436 August 194323 Feb 19449 Jun 1944Sunk by U-482 on 1 Sep 1944
Portchester Castle K362 Swan Hunter 6 Feb 194317 March 194321 Jun 19438 Nov 19431947Scrapped 14 May 1958
Rushen Castle K372 Swan Hunter 6 Feb 19438 April 194316 Jul 194324 Feb 19441946Became the weather ship Weather Surveyor in 1960
Shrewsbury Castle K374 Swan Hunter 6 Feb 19435 May 194316 Aug 194324 Apr 1944Transferred to Norway on completion and renamed HNoMS Tunsberg Castle; Sunk by mine 12 Dec 1944

Notes: (a) from the previous order placed for a Modified Flower-class corvette named Amaryllis.

Two of those ordered 3 March 1943, three ordered 4 May 1943 and two ordered 10 July 1943 were all cancelled, as were all thirty-six ordered from Canadian shipyards on 15 March 1943.

Royal Norwegian Navy

Cancelled

Fifteen ships ordered for the Royal Navy from UK shipyards as part of the 1943 Programme were all cancelled on 31 October 1943:

The following ships were ordered on 15 March 1943 for the Royal Navy from Canadian shipyards for completion between May 1944 and June 1945, but were all cancelled in December 1943:

Castles sunk or destroyed in action

U-boats sunk by Castles

Film appearance

The final third of the film The Cruel Sea is set on the Castle-class corvette Saltash Castle (portrayed by Portchester Castle).

Post-war conversions

Three were converted to passenger/cargo ships for the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia and were known as the White Boats. [13] They were operated from 1946 to 1958 but were heavy on fuel and had limited cargo capacity, for example they could not carry cars in the hold.

Related Research Articles

Flower-class corvette World War II British corvette class

The Flower-class corvette was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Royal Navy ships of this class were named after flowers.

HMS <i>Kenilworth Castle</i> (K420)

HMS Kenilworth Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Navy.

River-class frigate 1941 class of frigates of the Royal Navy

The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic. The majority served with the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), with some serving in the other Allied navies: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Free French Naval Forces, the Royal Netherlands Navy and, post-war, the South African Navy.

HMS <i>Berkeley Castle</i> (K387)

HMS Berkeley Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. Built and commissioned in 1943, she escorted convoys from 1944 to 1945. She later served as an air-sea rescue ship until being placed in reserve. Damaged beyond repair in the North Sea flood of 1953 while at a dry dock in Sheerness, she was scrapped a few years later. She was named after Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.

HMCS <i>Calgary</i> (K231) Canadian World War II Flower-class corvette

HMCS Calgary was a Royal Canadian Navy revised Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during the Second World War. She fought primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Calgary, Alberta.

HMS Marigold was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 4 September 1940 and was sunk by an Italian air-dropped torpedo on 9 December 1942.

When the United States entered World War II at the end of 1941, the United States Navy found itself deficient in ocean escort-type vessels. A crash building program was instituted; but, to meet more immediate needs, the government contracted with shipbuilding firms in England and Canada to build Flower-class corvettes. Vim (PG-99) was one of those British-type escorts. She was launched on 1 April 1943 at the Collingwood Shipyard in Collingwood, Ontario. Nine days later, however, she was transferred to the Royal Navy under the terms of the lend-lease agreement in return for another Flower-class corvette then under construction in Canada. The British renamed her HMS Statice, and she served the Royal Navy under the name through World War II. On 21 June 1946, she was returned to the United States Navy. Though carried on the Navy list as PG-99, the corvette never saw active service with the United States Navy. She was sold on 7 May 1947. To whom she was sold and to what purpose she was put is unknown.

French Flower-class corvettes were those ships of the Flower class built for, or operated by, the French Navy and Free French Naval Forces in World War II. At the outbreak of the war, four anti-submarine warfare ships were ordered from a British shipyard, and a further 18 ships were later ordered from several British and French shipyards. Following the Fall of France in June 1940, the ships in Britain were taken over by the Royal Navy, while those in France fell into German hands. Eight other Flowers were later transferred to the Free French Naval Forces.

HMCS <i>Drumheller</i> Flower-class corvette

HMCS Drumheller was a Flower-class corvette that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served in several theatres, including the Battle of the Atlantic as an ocean escort. She was named for Drumheller, Alberta.

HMCS <i>Fennel</i> Flower-class corvette

HMCS Fennel was a Flower-class corvette that served primarily with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Royal Navy, she served as an ocean escort in the Battle of the Atlantic.

HMCS <i>St. Catharines</i>

HMCS St. Catharines was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for St. Catharines, Ontario. After the war she was re-purposed as a weather ship for use by the Department of Transport of Canada.

HMS <i>Oakham Castle</i> Decommissioned Royal Navy corvette of the Castle class

HMS Oakham Castle was a Royal Navy corvette of the Castle class. Built as a convoy escort during the Second World War, it later became a weather ship before being scrapped in 1977.

HMS <i>Nunney Castle</i>

HMS Nunney Castle was a Castle-class corvette ordered by the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. The ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy before completion and renamed HMCS Bowmanville. Bowmanville served with the Royal Canadian Navy in the final years of the war and was sold for mercantile use in 1946. Renamed Ta Shun, the ship sailed under a Chinese flag, later being renamed Yuan Pei. In 1949, the former corvette was taken over by the Communist-controlled government of China and rearmed and renamed Kuang Chou. Kuang Chou was listed until 1976 and was stricken in 1986.

HMCS <i>Hespeler</i>

HMCS Hespeler was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy which served during the Second World War as a convoy escort that was originally ordered as HMS Guildford Castle for the British Royal Navy but before completion was transferred and renamed. Following the war, the ship was sold for mercantile use, renamed Chilcotin in 1946, Capri in 1958, Stella Maris in 1960, and Westar in 1965. The ship was destroyed by fire in 1966 while at Sarroch, Sardinia. The hulk was taken to La Spezia, Italy where Westar was broken up.

HMS Norham Castle, initially named Totnes Castle, was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy, renamed HMCS Humberstone, and served the rest of the war as a convoy escort. Following the war, the corvette was sold for mercantile service, beginning as Taiwei in 1946 and ending as South Ocean in 1954. The ship was broken up in 1959.

HMS <i>Woolvesey Castle</i>

HMS Woolvesey Castle, also spelled as Wolvesey Castle, was a Castle-class corvette constructed for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and was renamed HMCS Huntsville. Huntsville spent the rest of the war as a convoy escort. Following the war, the ship was converted for mercantile use and entered service as SS Wellington Kent in 1947. In 1951, the ship was renamed Belle Isle II. In 1960, Belle Isle II was sunk in a collision.

HMS Tamworth Castle was a Castle-class corvette that was ordered for the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. Before completion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS Kincardine, which used the corvette as a convoy escort for the rest of the war. Following the war, the ship was sold for mercantile use to French, then Moroccan interests and was renamed Saada in 1947.

HMS Coreopsis was a Flower-class corvette, built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War which served in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1943, she was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy as RHNS Kriezis and participated in the 1944 Invasion of Normandy. Shortly before she was scrapped, she took part in the British war film, The Cruel Sea.

HMS <i>Aubrietia</i> (K96) Flower-class corvette

HMS Aubrietia (K96) was a Flower-class corvette built for the Royal Navy (RN) from 1941-1946. She was active as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. In May 1941, Aubrietia sighted and depth charged the German submarine U-110, leading to its capture and the seizure of a German Naval Enigma and its Kurzsignale code book.

HMS <i>Petunia</i> (K79) Flower-class corvette

HMS Petunia (K79) was a Flower-class corvette that served in the Royal Navy and was built by Henry Robb in 1940. She was named after Petunia. Commissioned in 1940, rammed and sold to the Chinese Nationalist Government and renamed ROCS Fu Bo.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Lenton, H.T. (1998). British and Empire Warships of the Second World War. Greenhill. p. 297. ISBN   1853672777.
  2. ↑ Friedman (2006): page 134
  3. 1 2 Friedman (2006): page 135
  4. ↑ Friedman (2006): page 136
  5. 1 2 Friedman (2006): page 139
  6. ↑ Friedman (2006): page 140
  7. ↑ Friedman (2006): page 149
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Brown (2007): chapter 7, "The origin of the Castles has been mentioned previously..."
  9. 1 2 3 4 Friedman (2006): page 156
  10. ↑ Brown (2007): chapter 7, "It was thought that at least 200 new escorts..."
  11. ↑ Friedman (2006): page 146
  12. ↑ Brown (2007): chapter 7, "The first operational set was installed..."
  13. ↑ Twigg

Sources

  • Brown, David K. (2007). Atlantic Escorts : Ships, Weapons & Tactics in World War II. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN   978-1-78346-901-7.
  • Norman, Friedman (2006). British Destroyers and Frigates: the Second World War and After. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   1-86176-137-6.
  • Twigg, Arthur M.: Union Steamships Remembered: 1920–1958 (1997) ISBN   1-55056-516-8.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.