HMS Swindon

	As Lady Cecilia at Gibsons Landing, British Columbia, circa 1930
History
United Kingdom
Builder	Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company
Launched	25 December 1918
Fate	Sold 1 December 1921; renamed Lady Cecilia
General characteristics
Class and type	Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class
Displacement	800 long tons (813 t)
Length	213 ft (65 m) o/a
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Installed power	2 × Yarrow boilers ; 2,200 ihp (1,600 kW);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 vertical 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 × 76 mm (3.0 in) anti-aircraft gun ;

Last updated October 23, 2024

HMS Swindon was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sold into civilian service in 1921.

Design and description

The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 800 long tons (810 t) at normal load. They had a length between perpendiculars of 220 feet (67.1 m)^[1] and measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall. The Aberdares had a beam of 26 feet 6 inches (8.1 m) and a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.^[2]

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^[2] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[1]

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 (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun aft.^[2] Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.^[1]

Construction and career

Swindon was renamed from HMS Bantry in 1918 to avoid any conflict between the vessel name and a coastal location. In 1921 she was sold off and converted to a coastal passenger/freight steamer SS Lady Cecilia by the Coaster Construction Co of Montrose, Scotland for the Union Steamship Co of British Columbia. She was laid up and sold to Coast Ferries in 1951, then scrapped at Gambier Island, BC in 1952.

Notes

1 2 3 Cocker, p. 76
1 2 3 Gardiner & Gray, p. 98

Related Research Articles

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HMS Ford was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I.

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HMS Selkirk was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and survived the Second World War to be sold for scrap in 1947.

HMS Louis was a Laforey-class destroyer built for the British Royal Navy during the 1910s. She participated in the Dardanelles campaign, during which she was wrecked in Suvla Bay in 1915.

HMS Petersfield (ex-Portmadoc) was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War. Re-commissioned at Hong Kong on 23 February 1925 for service on the China Station as an admiral's yacht. She was wrecked on 11 November 1931 off Tung Yung Island, with the C-in-C China Station Admiral Sir Howard Kelly embarked. Two courts martial following her loss resulted in severe reprimands for her Captain, Commander Douglas C. Lang and Navigating Lieutenant, Geoffrey A. H. Pratt, though an imperious meddling throughout the unfolding disaster brought ignominy upon Admiral Kelly, as well.

References

Cocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-328-4.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Commonwealth Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.

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[c6-1] 1 2 3 Cocker, p. 76

[l3-2] 1 2 3 Gardiner & Gray, p. 98

[1]

[2]

Hunt-class minesweeper (1916)
Belvoir group	Belvoir Bicester Blackmorevale Cattistock Cotswold Cottesmore Croome Dartmoor Garth Hambledon Heythrop Holderness Meynell Muskerry Oakley Pytchley Quorn Southdown Tedworth Zetland
Aberdare group	Aberdare Abingdon Albury Alresford Appledore Badminton Bagshot Banchory Barnstaple Battle Blackburn Bloxham Bootle Bradfield Burslem Bury Caerleon Camberley Carstairs Caterham Cheam Clonmel Craigie Cupar Derby Dorking Dundalk Dunoon Elgin Fairfield Fareham Fermoy Faversham Ford Forfar Forres Gaddesden Gainsborough Goole Gretna Harrow Havant Huntley Instow Irvine Kendal Kinross Leamington Longford Lydd Mallaig Malvern Marazion Marlow Mistley Monaghan Munlochy Nailsea Newark Northolt Pangbourne Penarth Petersfield Pontypool Prestatyn Repton Ross Rugby Salford Saltash Saltburn Selkirk Sherborne Shrewsbury Sligo Stafford Stoke Sutton Swindon Tiverton Tonbridge Tralee Tring Truro Wem Wexford Weybourne Widnes Yeovil
Survey ships	Beaufort Collinson Crozier Fitzroy Flinders Kellet
List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy