History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name |
|
Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast |
Yard number | 1142 [2] |
Laid down | 14 April 1941 |
Launched | 9 December 1942 [1] |
Completed | 22 April 1943 [2] |
Commissioned | 22 April 1943 |
Identification | Pennant number J217 |
Motto | "Fight for the King" |
Honours and awards | Normandy 1944 |
Fate | Sunk on 22 August 1944 by U-480 [1] |
Badge | On a Field barry wavy of six White and Blue, a sprig of three oak leaves, Gold |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Algerine-class minesweeper |
Displacement | 850 tons |
Length | 225 ft (69 m) |
Beam | 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Complement | 85 men |
Armament |
|
HMS Loyalty was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy, formerly HMS Rattler . She served during the Second World War. Commissioned in 1943, Loyalty saw action off the coast of Normandy during the Allied assault there in 1944. While performing duties off the coast, the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank.
The turbine-powered ships displaced 850 long tons (860 t) at standard load and 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) at deep load. The ship measured 225 feet (68.6 m) long overall with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). The turbine group had a draught of 11 feet (3.4 m). The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings. [3]
The ships had two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The ships carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). [3]
The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun [4] and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges. [3]
Rattler was laid down on 14 April 1941 at Harland and Wolff, Belfast, launched on 9 December 1942 and commissioned on 22 April 1943. [1] [5] She was adopted by the community of Ripley, North Yorkshire after a Warship Week national savings campaign in March 1942. [6] [7]
After commissioning she was assigned to the 18th Minesweeping Flotilla, joining them in June 1943, when she was renamed Loyalty. [1] [8] She and the other ships of the flotilla carried out sweeping operations in Lyme Bay and the English Channel. She and other ships of the flotilla were transferred to Harwich in August to sweep areas of the North Sea, but was soon transferred to the 9th Flotilla, at Dover. On 25 August Loyalty was part of Operation Starkey, an attempt to attract German aircraft to unusual minesweeping operations near the French coast. The ships of the flotilla came under fire from shore batteries, and Hydra was damaged. They returned to Dover, but were mistakenly fired on by British shore batteries, causing further damage. Loyalty did not return to minesweeping duties until October.
In November Loyalty transferred to Scapa Flow to join the 15th Minesweeping Flotilla with the Home Fleet. She transferred again in December to the Orkney and Shetland Command, operating out of Seidisfjord on anti-submarine patrols and local convoy escort duties. She remained here until being nominated to return to the UK in March 1944 and in April underwent a refit at Portsmouth, after which she was assigned to Force G to give minesweeping support to the Allied landings in Normandy. Loyalty spent May carrying out exercises and rehearsals, and also escorted sister ship Stormcloud into Portsmouth after she had been damaged by a mine. Loyalty then took part in the assault operations of 6 June, clearing Channel 6, and then remaining deployed off Gold Beach to cover operations. She remained off Normandy after the landings and throughout July, carrying out sweeps of the anchorages.
Loyalty was still off Normandy on 22 August. She was returning to Portsmouth with the minesweepers Ready, Hound, Hydra and Rattlesnake when the sweep wires parted. Loyalty and the minesweeping trawler Doon were dispatched to recover the sweep. As they were doing this Loyalty was attacked and sunk by the German U-boat U-480 at position 50°09′N00°41′W / 50.150°N 0.683°W Coordinates: 50°09′N00°41′W / 50.150°N 0.683°W in the English Channel. [1] She capsized in less than seven minutes, with the loss of her captain and 18 ratings. There were 30 survivors. Loyalty was replaced in the flotilla by sister ship Tanganyika. The wrecksite is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
The Algerine-class minesweeper was a large group of minesweepers built for the Royal Navy (RN) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. 110 ships of the class were launched between 1942 and 1944.
HMS Pelorus was an Algerine-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy (RN) during World War II. Upon completion, the ship became the flotilla leader of the 7th Minesweeper Flotilla, clearing mines off the east coast of England. In June 1944, the flotilla was assigned to sweep one of the beaches during the Normandy landings until she struck a mine the following month. After her repairs were completed, Pelorus was reassigned to the English Channel and the 6th Minesweeping Flotilla. The flotilla was transferred to the Indian Ocean in 1945 and spent some time escorting convoys. They participated in Operation Collie, a bombardment of Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands, in July and then swept the Strait of Malacca and the approaches to Singapore in August.
HMS Rifleman was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1943 and saw active service during World War II, both in the European and Far East theatres. After the war she served in the Mediterranean and was used as an accommodation ship in Barrow before being sold for breaking in 1972.
HMS Ossory was a reciprocating engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She commissioned too late for service in the conflict, but was in service during the Cold War period. She was scrapped in 1959.
HMS Hydra was a reciprocating engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was badly damaged during the war and was scrapped in 1947.
HMS Mutine was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War, and was adopted by the civil community of Mitcham, Surrey following a successful Warship Week National Savings campaign held in February 1942.
HMS Squirrel was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was scuttled after striking a mine in 1945.
HMS Vestal was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1943 and saw service in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan. She was critically damaged by Japanese kamikaze aircraft in 1945 and was subsequently scuttled in waters close to Thailand.
HMS Algerine was the lead ship of her namesake class of minesweepers built for the Royal Navy during World War II, the Algerine-class minesweepers. Initially assigned to the North Sea, she was transferred to lead the 12th Minesweeping Flotilla. The Flotilla were posted to the Mediterranean to assist with Operation Torch. In 1942, after a successful mine clearing operation off Bougie, she was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Ascianghi, causing Algerine to sink, leaving only eight survivors.
HMCyS Parakrama, was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper of the Royal Ceylon Navy, originally built as HMS Pickle (J293) for the Royal Navy during World War II, and transferred to Ceylon by the United Kingdom in 1958. She was scrapped in 1964.
HMS Rosario (J219) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1953 as De Moor (M905).
HMS Spanker (J226) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1953 as De Brouwer (M904).
HMS Fancy (J308) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1951 as A.F. Dufour (M903).
HMS Liberty (J391) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1949 as Adrien de Gerlache (M900).
HMS Cadmus (J230) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1942 as Georges Lecointe (M901).
HMS Espiegle (J216) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.
HMS Brave (J305) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.
HMS Chameleon (J387) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.
HMS Cheerful (J388) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.
HMS Circe (J214) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.