HMS Bassingham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers, of which HMS Inglesham was the first. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Bassingham in Lincolnshire. She was built by Vospers Ltd. of Portsmouth, which later became Vosper-Thorneycroft and was commissioned in October 1953. She displaced 164 tons fully laden and was armed with one 40 mm Bofors gun.
The Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers (IMS), known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. All of the ships in the class are named for British place names that end with -"ham". The parent firm that was responsible for supervising construction was Samuel White of Cowes, Isle of Wight.
HMS Arlingham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Asheldham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Bedham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Damerham 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 Damerham in Hampshire.
HMS Elsenham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Greetham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers. All ships in this class had names chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was built by the firm of Herd & McKenzie in Buckie, Moray and was named after Greetham, Lincolnshire. Entering service in 1955, the vessel was transferred to the Libyan Navy in 1962 on loan and permanently in 1966. Renamed Zuara, the minesweeper was used as a patrol vessel until 1973. Zuara was sold to Captain Morgan Cruises of Malta for commercial use and renamed Lady Davinia. The ship was taken out of service in 2007 and laid up at Sliema Creek. Lady Davinia sank at her moorings in 2008 and for a short time became a diving attraction but in 2011 the wreck was partially broken up after being named a navigational hazard.
HMS Isham was a Ham-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy.
HMS Ledsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Petersham was a Ham-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy.
HMS Polsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Popham was a Ham-class minesweeper for the Royal Navy.
HMS Puttenham(M2784) was a Ham-class inshore minesweeper of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1956 and entered service in 1958. The 93 ships of the Ham class had names chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Puttenham.
HMS Shipham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Sidlesham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in "-ham". This minesweeper was named after Sidlesham in West Sussex.
HMS Thornham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Wrentham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Yaxham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Squirrel after the animal, while four more carried the name while serving as fishery protection vessels. Another was planned, but was renamed before being launched.
United Kingdom
