 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Halcyon-class minesweeper" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 HMS Britomart secured to a buoy in Plymouth Sound | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Racecourse class |
| Succeeded by | Bangor class |
| Subclasses | reciprocating / turbine-engined |
| Planned | 22 |
| Completed | 21 |
| Lost | 9 (+1 constructive total loss) |
| Retired | 12 |
| General characteristics (reciprocating) | |
| Type | fleet minesweeper |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 245 ft 9 in (74.90 m) o/aii |
| Beam | 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, vertical compound reciprocating steam engines on 2 shafts, 1,770 ihp |
| Speed | 16.5 to 17 kn (31 km/h) |
| Range | 7,200 nmi (13,330 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Complement | 80 |
| Armament |
|
| General characteristics (Niger, Salamander) | |
| Displacement | 1,330 long tons (1,350 t) |
| Length | 245 ft 3 in (74.75 m) |
| Propulsion | Vertical triple-expansion, 2,000 ihp |
| Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Other characteristics as per reciprocating ships |
| General characteristics (turbine) | |
| Displacement |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum water-tube boilers, Parsons steam turbines, 1,750 shp (1,305 kW) on 2 shafts |
| Speed | 16.5 knots (31 km/h) |
| Notes | Other characteristics as per Niger/Salamander |
The Halcyon class was a class of 21 oil-fired minesweepers (officially, "fleet minesweeping sloops") built for the British Royal Navy between 1933 and 1939. They were given traditional small ship names used historically by the Royal Navy and served during the Second World War.
There were 21 ships in the Halcyon class, built in two groups; the first using reciprocating steam engines, with steam turbines in the latter. They were generally smaller versions of the Grimsby-class escort sloops. Niger and Salamander of the reciprocating group used vertical triple expansion engines, instead of the vertical compound engines of their sisters. As a result of the increased power they had a half knot speed advantage, even though they used slightly shorter hulls. The turbine ships used the same shorter hulls as Niger and Salamander, but with lower power, speed dropped back to 16.5 knots (31 km/h). Gleaner, Franklin, Jason and Scott were completed as unarmed survey vessels, Sharpshooter and Seagull being converted to follow suit. They were all re-armed and deployed in their original role on the outbreak of war. Seagull had the first all-welded hull built for the Royal Navy.[2]
Halcyons served in Home waters, at Dunkirk, on Arctic convoys and in the Mediterranean Sea. On 3 February 1940, Sphinx (Cdr. J. R. N. Taylor, RN) was sweeping an area 15 miles (24 km) north of Kinnaird Head when it was attacked by enemy aircraft. A bomb pierced the forecastle deck and exploded, destroying the fore part of the ship and killing the commanding officer and forty of his men. Sphinx remained afloat and was towed by Halcyon, but having taken in too much water, capsized and sank. The wreck washed ashore north of Lybster and was sold for scrap.
Skipjack (Lt.Cdr. F. B. Proudfoot, RN) was attacked and sunk by a force of German dive bombers off De Panne, Belgium on 1 June 1940. On board Skipjack were between 250 and 300 soldiers rescued from Dunkirk's beaches during Operation Dynamo. Eyewitness William Stone said of Skipjack, "She just disappeared."[3]
Halcyons were pressed into service as anti-submarine escorts, performing this task with decreasing frequency as ships specifically designed for this task, such as Flower-class corvettes, came off the slips. Halcyons accompanied most of the Arctic convoys, serving as minesweepers and anti-submarine escorts. Several spent extended periods based at Soviet naval bases in Northern Russia, such as Murmansk. Four Halcyons were lost during this period:
Hebe and Speedy served in the Mediterranean as part of the 14th/17th Minesweeper Flotilla based in Malta. The minesweepers saw action during the Malta Convoys, Operation Torch and Operation Corkscrew. Hebe was lost to a mine off Bari, Italy on 22 November 1943.
As the Allied armies advanced following the invasion of Normandy, Britomart, Hussar, Jason and Salamander were assigned to the 1st Minesweeping Flotilla (1MF) clearing Axis minefields north of Normandy to open ports to supply the advance. On the afternoon of 27 August 1944, they were sweeping off Cap d'Antifer in preparation for the battleship Warspite and monitors Erebus and Roberts to engage Le Havre coastal artillery delaying the advance of Canadian troops.[4]
The headquarters officer assigning the minesweeping project to 1MF neglected to inform the Flag Officer British Assault Area (Rear‑Admiral James Rivett‑Carnac), who was responsible for defending the invasion beaches from E-boats operating from Le Havre. 1MF was observed on a south-westerly leg of the minesweeping operation and assumed to be German ships proceeding to attack Allied shipping off the invasion beaches. The Admiral's staff requested No. 263 Squadron RAF and No. 266 Squadron RAF to attack the ships. The squadrons responded with 16 Typhoons armed with 20 mm cannon and High Explosive "60 lb" RP-3 unguided rockets. Royal Air Force pilots identified 1MF as probably friendly shipping but upon questioning their orders were told the Royal Navy had no ships in the area.[4]
In a well-executed attack out of the sun at 13:30, the Typhoons sank Britomart (Lt. Cdr. Nash, MBE, RNR) and Hussar (Lt.Cdr. A. J. Galvin, DSC, RNR); and Salamander was damaged so far beyond economical repair she was written off. Eighty-six British sailors were killed and 124 more were injured. 1MF identified the Typhoons as friendly and poor visibility into the sun prevented early recognition of the impending "friendly fire". Jason established radio contact to terminate the attack.[4]
| |
|
British naval ship classes of the Second World War
| |
|---|---|
| Aircraft carriers |
|
| Light aircraft carriers |
|
| Escort carriers |
|
| Battleships |
|
| Battlecruisers |
|
| Heavy cruisers |
|
| Light cruisers |
|
| Destroyer leaders |
|
| Destroyers |
|
| Frigates |
|
| Corvettes |
|
| Sloops |
|
| Minelayers |
|
| Minesweepers |
|
| Netlayers |
|
| Submarines |
|
| Coastal |
|
| Other |
|
| |
