HMS Clacton (J151)

History

United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Clacton
Builder:	Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Troon, Scotland
Laid down:	12 November 1940
Launched:	18 December 1941
Commissioned:	4 June 1942
Fate:	Sunk by a mine on 31 December 1943
General characteristics
Class and type:	Bangor-class minesweeper
Displacement:	656 long tons (667 t) standard 820 long tons (833 t) full
Length:	174 ft (53 m) o/a
Beam:	28 ft 6 in (8.69 m)
Draught:	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
Installed power:	2,000 ihp (1,500 kW) 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 steam turbines
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range:	2,800 nmi (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement:	60
Armament:	1 × single QF 12-pounder (7.62 cm) anti-aircraft gun 1 × single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun

HMS Clacton was a Bangor-class minesweepers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

Design and description

The Bangor class was designed as a small minesweeper that could be easily built in large numbers by civilian shipyards; as steam turbines were difficult to manufacture, the ships were designed to accept a wide variety of engines. Clacton displaced 656 long tons (667 t) at standard load and 820 long tons (830 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 174 feet (53.0 m), a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 10 feet 3 inches (3.1 m).^[1] The ship's complement consisted of 60 officers and ratings.^[2]

She was powered by 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 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). Clacton carried a maximum of 160 long tons (163 t) of fuel oil that gave her a range of 2,800 nautical miles (5,200 km; 3,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[3]

The turbine-powered Bangors were armed with a QF 12-pounder (7.62 cm) anti-aircraft gun and a single QF 2-pounder (4 cm) AA gun. In some ships the 2-pounder was replaced a single or twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun, while most ships were fitted with four additional single Oerlikon mounts over the course of the war.^[3] For escort work, her minesweeping gear could be exchanged for around 40 depth charges.^[2]

Construction and career

HMS Clacton was built by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., at Troon, Scotland and launched on 18 December 1941. Thus far she has been only the second ship of the Royal Navy named after the Essex town of Clacton-on-Sea. HMS Clacton was in the Mediterranean off the east coast of Corsica, on passage from La Maddalena to Bastia on 31 December 1943. She struck a mine at 0832 hours and sank immediately. Three officers and 29 ratings were killed, with the survivors being rescued by HMS Polruan.

References

↑ Lenton, pp. 253–54
1 2 Chesneau, p. 64
1 2 Lenton, p. 254

Bibliography

Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
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. OCLC 67375475.
Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.

External links

Bangor-class minesweepers

Royal Navy	Ardrossan Bangor Bayfield Beaumaris Blackpool Blyth Bootle Boston Bridlington Bridport Brixham Bude Canso Caraquet Clacton Clydebank Cromarty Cromer Dornoch Dunbar Eastbourne Felixstowe Fort York Fraserburgh Greenock Guysborough Hartlepool Harwich Hythe Ilfracombe Ingonish Lantan Llandudno Lockeport Lyemun Lyme Regis (J193) Lyme Regis (J197) Middlesbrough Newhaven Padstow Parrsborough Peterhead Polruan Poole Qualicum Rhyl Romney Rothesay Rye Seaham Shippigan Sidmouth Stornoway Tadoussac Taitam Tenby Tilbury Waglan Wedgeport Whitehaven Worthing

Royal Canadian Navy	Bayfield Bellechasse Blairmore Brockville Burlington Canso Caraquet Chedabucto Chignecto Clayoquot Courtenay Cowichan Digby Drummondville Esquimalt Fort William Gananoque Georgian Goderich Granby Grandmère Guysborough Ingonish Kelowna Kenora Kentville Lachine Lockeport Mahone Malpeque Medicine Hat Melville Milltown Minas Miramichi Mulgrave Nipigon Noranda Outarde Port Hope Quatsino Quinte Red Deer Sarnia Stratford Swift Current Thunder Transcona Trois Rivières Truro Ungava Vegreville Wasaga Westmount

Royal Indian Navy	Baluchistan Bihar Carnatic Deccan Kathiawar Khyber Konkan Kumaon Malwa Orissa Oudh Rajputana Rohilkhand

List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy

Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1943

Shipwrecks	2 Dec: Fort Athabaska, John Harvey, Norlom 4 Dec: Chūyō, Kembu Maru 12 Dec: HMS Holcombe, HMS Tynedale 13 Dec: Friedrich Bischoff, U-172, U-391, U-593 15 Dec: Nevada 16 Dec: U-73 17 Dec: USS APc-21 18 Dec: HMS Felixstowe, Numakaze 20 Dec: U-850 21 Dec: Norhauk 22 Dec: Niobe 24 Dec: Dumana, USS Leary, U-645 25 Dec: HMS Hurricane 26 Dec: USS Brownson, Scharnhorst 28 Dec: Axum, T-25, T-26, Z27 29 Dec: Protée 31 Dec: HMS Clacton Unknown date: U-972

Other incidents	13 Dec: U-345 23 Dec: HMS Worcester

1942 1943 1944 November 1943 January 1944

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