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 Abbotsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Altham 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 Blunham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Cobham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Davenham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Glentham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Haversham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Inglesham was the first of the 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Ledsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Ludham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Mersham was a Ham-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy. All ships of the class were named after villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Mersham in Kent. Constructed at Appledore, in Devon, Mersham was launched in April 1954 and completed in January 1955. In April 1955, the ship was transferred to the French Navy and in French service, was known by its pennant number, M773, until it was renamed Violette in 1964. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, the vessel undertook minesweeping duties from Brest in Brittany, before being laid up in 1965. In 1974, the ship was transferred to the Gendarmerie and undertook patrol duties until finally being decommissioned in 1987.
HMS Neasham (M2712/IMS49) was a Ham-class minesweeper for the Royal Navy. The names of the Ham-class vessels were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. HMS Neasham was named after Neasham in County Durham.
HMS Ottringham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Petersham was a Ham-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy.
HMS Nettleham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
HMS Thakeham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers.
United Kingdom
