HMS Bridport (J50)

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HMSBangor.jpg
HMS Bangor, sister ship of Bridport
History
Naval ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Bridport
Ordered6 July 1939
Builder Harland & Wolff, Govan
Laid down11 September 1939
Launched29 February 1940
Commissioned28 November 1940
RenamedHMRAFV Bridport
FateScrapped, 1959
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement605 long tons (615  t)
Length174 ft (53.0 m) (o/a)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught8 ft 3 in (2.5 m)
Installed power2,000  bhp (1,500  kW)
Propulsion2 shafts; diesel engine
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement60
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.

Contents

Description

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

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

  1. 1 2 3 Lenton, p. 254
  2. ↑ Campbell, p. 64
  3. ↑ Colledge, Warlow & Bush, pp. 57–58
  4. ↑ "HMS Bridport (J 50) Minesweeper of the Bangor class". uboat.net. Retrieved 15 July 2025.

Bibliography

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