HMS Ledsham (M2706)

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History
Naval ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Ledsham
BuilderJ. Bolson, Poole
Launched30 June 1954
Completed22 March 1955
Out of serviceSold April 1971
Renamedby 2007 Nipatina
FateAfter being moored at Deptford Creek, London since 2007 the ship caught fire in January 2017.
General characteristics
Class & type Ham-class minesweeper
Displacement
  • 120 tons standard
  • 164 tons full
Length106 ft 6 in (32.46 m)
Beam22 ft (6.7 m)
Draught5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Propulsion2 shaft Paxman 12YHAXM diesels, 1,100 bhp (820 kW)
Speed14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement2 officers, 13 ratings
Armament1 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun / 20 mm Oerlikon gun
Notes Pennant number(s): M2706 / IMS43

HMS Ledsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Ledsham, Cheshire or Ledsham, West Yorkshire.

She was built by J. Bolson & Son Ltd. at Poole, and launched on 30 June 1954. [1]

HMS Ledsham was sold on 1971 for breaking up at Newhaven, Sussex. By 1998 she was moored in Deptford Creek, southeast London, [1] as an venue for local events, but the stern was damaged by fire in 2008. [2]

From 2012 she was repaired and renovated as the centre of The Minesweeper Collective, an artists' cooperative. The minesweeper housed a printing studio, and was a venue for art and music events. [2] [3] On the night of 5 January 2017 an explosion near the former minesweeper led to the ship catching fire whilst the London Fire Brigade deployed a dozen fire engines to the scene. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 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 ed.). Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books/Seaforth Publishing. p. 243. ISBN   978-1-52679327-0.
  2. 1 2 "The Minesweeper Collective". Co-op Directory. Manchester: Co-operatives UK. Retrieved 23 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ "History". The Minesweeper Collective. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  4. ↑ Tooth, John-Paul (6 January 2017). "Retired Royal Navy Minesweeper HMS Ledsham Gutted By Boat Fire". forces.tv. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017.


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