HMS Ford (1918)

History
United Kingdom
Builder	Dunlop Bremner, Port Glasgow
Launched	19 October 1918
Out of service	Sold October 1928 to Townsend Bros and resold 8 December 1928 to become Forde
Fate	Scrapped, 1 May 1954 at Málaga
General characteristics
Class and type	Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class
Displacement	800 long tons (813 t)
Length	213 ft (65 m) o/a
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Installed power	2 × Yarrow boilers ; 2,200 ihp (1,600 kW);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines ;
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	74
Armament	1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun; 1 × 76 mm (3.0 in) anti-aircraft gun ;

Last updated October 25, 2024

HMS Ford was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I.

Design and description

The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 800 long tons (810 t) at normal load. They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 26 feet 6 inches (8.1 m). They had a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.^[1]

The ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Yarrow boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,200 indicated horsepower (1,600 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). They carried a maximum of 185 long tons (188 t) of coal^[1] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[2]

The Aberdare sub-class was armed with a quick-firing (QF) four-inch (102 mm) gun forward of the bridge and a QF twelve-pounder (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun aft.^[1] Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.^[2]

Construction and career

Ford was built by Dunlop Bremmer in their Port Glasgow shipyard. The ship was renamed from HMS Fleetwood prior to being launched in 1918.

Service as Forde

In 1928 she was sold to Townsend Bros and converted into a car ferry between Dover and Calais, fitted with a stern door which folded down onto the quay. However, this was unusable, and the cars were craned on. She could carry 165 passengers and 26 cars. Two general saloons, a ladies’ saloon and three private state rooms were constructed.

During the Second World War, Forde served under the Admiralty as a salvage vessel. Afterwards she was refitted at Southampton and returned to Dover as a car ferry on 12 April 1947. She was withdrawn in October 1949, sold to Bland Line, renamed "Gibel Tarik" and finished her days as a car ferry between Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco, finally being withdrawn in 1954.

Notes

1 2 3 Gardiner & Gray, p. 98
1 2 Cocker, p. 76

Related Research Articles

HMS Saltash (J62) was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Aberdare was the name ship of her sub-class of the Hunt-class minesweepers built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She survived both World Wars to be scrapped in 1947.

HMS Abingdon was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I.

HMS Albury was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Alresford was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Appledore was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sold into civilian service in 1920.

HMS Badminton was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1928.

HMS Bagshot was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not completed in time to participate in the First World War, but survived World War II, and was sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Leamington was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1928.

HMS Derby was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1946.

HMS Dundalk was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and sank after striking a mine in 1940.

HMS Dunoon was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sunk by a mine in 1940.

HMS Swindon was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sold into civilian service in 1921.

HMS Elgin was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War. A mine badly damaged her in 1944; she was sold for scrap in 1945.

HMS Fareham was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1948.

HMS Fermoy was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War, and was crippled by German bombers in 1941 and later scrapped.

HMS Ross was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Selkirk was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Lassoo was a Laforey-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the 1910s.

HMS Petersfield (ex-Portmadoc) was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War. Re-commissioned at Hong Kong on 23 February 1925 for service on the China Station as an admiral's yacht. She was wrecked on 11 November 1931 off Tung Yung Island, with the C-in-C China Station Admiral Sir Howard Kelly embarked. Two courts martial following her loss resulted in severe reprimands for her Captain, Commander Douglas C. Lang and Navigating Lieutenant, Geoffrey A. H. Pratt, though an imperious meddling throughout the unfolding disaster brought ignominy upon Admiral Kelly, as well.

References

Cocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-328-4.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

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.

[l3-1] 1 2 3 Gardiner & Gray, p. 98

[c6-2] 1 2 Cocker, p. 76

[1]

[2]

Hunt-class minesweeper (1916)
Belvoir group	Belvoir Bicester Blackmorevale Cattistock Cotswold Cottesmore Croome Dartmoor Garth Hambledon Heythrop Holderness Meynell Muskerry Oakley Pytchley Quorn Southdown Tedworth Zetland
Aberdare group	Aberdare Abingdon Albury Alresford Appledore Badminton Bagshot Banchory Barnstaple Battle Blackburn Bloxham Bootle Bradfield Burslem Bury Caerleon Camberley Carstairs Caterham Cheam Clonmel Craigie Cupar Derby Dorking Dundalk Dunoon Elgin Fairfield Fareham Fermoy Faversham Ford Forfar Forres Gaddesden Gainsborough Goole Gretna Harrow Havant Huntley Instow Irvine Kendal Kinross Leamington Longford Lydd Mallaig Malvern Marazion Marlow Mistley Monaghan Munlochy Nailsea Newark Northolt Pangbourne Penarth Petersfield Pontypool Prestatyn Repton Ross Rugby Salford Saltash Saltburn Selkirk Sherborne Shrewsbury Sligo Stafford Stoke Sutton Swindon Tiverton Tonbridge Tralee Tring Truro Wem Wexford Weybourne Widnes Yeovil
Survey ships	Beaufort Collinson Crozier Fitzroy Flinders Kellet
List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy