HMS Irwell (1926)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Irwell and HMS Bridlington.

History
United Kingdom
Builder	Ayrshire Dockyard Company, Irvine
Launched	12 August 1919
Completed	April 1926
Commissioned	April 1926
Renamed	Irwell as a RNVR drillship in September 1926
Fate	Arrived 27 November 1962 at Lacmotts, Liverpool for break up
General characteristics
Class & type	Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class
Displacement	800 long tons (813  t)
Length	213 ft (64.9 m) o/a
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)
Installed power	2 × Yarrow boilers 2,200  ihp (1,600 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range	1,500  nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	74
Armament	1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun 1 × 12 pdr (76 mm (3 in)) anti-aircraft gun

HMS Irwell was a Hunt-class minesweeper 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 750 long tons (760  t ) at normal load ^[1] and 930 long tons (940 t) at full load. ^[2] They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and 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). ^[3]

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 (3-inch (76.2 mm)) anti-aircraft gun aft. ^[1] Some ships were fitted with QF six-pounder (2.2-inch (57 mm)) Hotchkiss guns or QF three-pounder (1.5-inch (37 mm)) Hotchkiss guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder. ^[3]

Construction and career

Goole, the first ship of her name in the Royal Navy, was built by the Ayrshire Dockyard Company at their shipyard in Irvine, North Ayrshire as Bridlington. The ship was renamed HMS Goole in 1918 before being launched on 12 August 1919. She was not completed until April 1926, when she was assigned to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a drillship. She was renamed again to Irwell in September 1926. She arrived at Lacmotts in Liverpool for breaking up on 27 November 1962. ^[4]

See also

• Goole, Yorkshire, her original namesake when she was launched

Citations

1. Preston, p. 98
2. Lenton, p. 250
3. Cocker, p. 76
4. Colledge, Warlow & Bush, p. 177

Bibliography

• Cocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Airlife Publishing. ISBN   1-85310-328-4.
• 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.
• Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN   0-85177-245-5.