HMS Ready (J223)

Last updated

M902 36.jpg
A. F. Dufour (M902)
History
Naval ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameReady
Namesake Ready
Ordered15 November 1940
Builder Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Laid down14 April 1942
Launched11 January 1943
Commissioned21 May 1943
Decommissioned1948
ReclassifiedM223, 1949
Identification Pennant number: J223
FateSold to the Belgium, 1951
Naval Ensign of Belgium.svgBelgium
NameVan Haverbeke
Namesake J.F. Van Haverbeke [1]
Acquired1951
Commissioned4 July 1951
DecommissionedJune 1960
StrickenJune 1960
Identification
Motto
  • Semper Paratus
  • (Always Prepared)
Fate Scrapped, 1961
Badge Van ha10.jpg
General characteristics
Class & type Algerine-class minesweeper
Displacement
  • 850 long tons (864 t) (standard)
  • 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) (deep)
Length225 ft (69 m) o/a
Beam35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draught11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range5,000  nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement85
Armament

HMS Ready (J226) was a steam turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1951 as Van Haverbeke (M902).

Contents

Design and description

Ready in the 1940s HMS Ready FL14233.jpg
Ready in the 1940s

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 ships 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. [2]

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 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). They 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). [2]

The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun [3] 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. [2]

Construction and career

Service in the Royal Navy

The ship was ordered on 15 November 1940 at the Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Ireland. She was laid down on 14 April 1942 and launched on 11 January 1943. She was commissioned on 21 May 1943. [4]

On 29 December 1944 she captured the miniature submarine Biber 90 which was found with its sole crew-member dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. [5] It was towed to Dover although sunk in the harbour before being recovered. [5]

Ready was decommissioned in 1948.

She was then sold to Belgium in 1951.

Service in the Belgian Navy

Ready was renamed Van Haverbeke and was commissioned on 4 July 1951. [1]

The ship was decommissioned in June 1960 and sold for to Mr. Bakker P.V.B.A, Bruges for scrap on 7 March 1961. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Van Haverbeke". www.marinebelge.be (in French). Retrieved 12 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Lenton, p. 261
  3. ↑ Chesneau, p. 65
  4. ↑ "HMS Ready (J 223) of the Royal Navy - British Minesweeper of the Algerine class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 Bullen, John (1989). "The German Biber submarine". Imperial War Museum Review. 4: 79–86.

Bibliography

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.