HMS Hodgeston (M1146)

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Hodgeston
Builder:	Fleetlands Shipyard, Portsmouth
Launched:	5 February 1954
Renamed:	HMS Northumbria between 1954 and 1960 HMS Venturer between 1961 and 1975
Homeport:	1954-1961 Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK 1961-1975 Bristol UK 1976-1985 Glasgow, Scotland, UK 1985-1988 HM Naval Base, Rosyth, Inverkeithing, Scotland, UK
Fate:	Sold for scrapping in September 1988 Broken up at Bruges, Belgium in December 1988
General characteristics
Class and type:	Ton-class minesweeper
Displacement:	440 tons
Length:	152 ft (46.3 m)
Beam:	28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught:	8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion:	Originally Mirrlees diesel, later Napier Deltic, producing 3,000 shp (2,200 kW) on each of two shafts
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h)
Armament:	1 × Bofors 40 mm gun 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 1 × M2 Browning machine gun
Notes:	Pennant number M1146

HMS Hodgeston was a Ton-class minesweeper which saw service with the Royal Navy during the Cold War. Built by Fleetlands Shipyard, she was launched on 6 April 1954 and broken up in 1988.^[1][2]

Royal Navy Service

She spent many years attached to the 10th Mine Counter Measure (MCM10) Squadron manned by the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR).

Between 1954 and 1960 she was renamed HMS Northumbria whilst attached to the Tyne Division of the RNR HMS Calliope based at Gateshead.

Between 1961 and 1975 she was renamed HMS Venturer whilst attached as sea-going tender to the Severn Division of the RNR at HMS Flying Fox based in Bristol.

From the late 1975 to the end of her RNR service she was attached as sea-going tender to the Clyde Division of the RNR (HMS Graham) based in Glasgow. She attended the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review off Spithead when she was part of the 10th Mine Countermeasures Squadron.^[3]

Until 1980 she was known as HMS Clyde (the traditional name for ships attached to HMS Graham). However from that year naming policy with regard to ships allocated to RNR Divisions changed and she reverted her own name during this period.

She was de-commissioned in 1985 following the acquisition of the River-class minesweeper HMS Dovey as her successor as tender to HMS Graham.

Following this she spent time attached to the Fisheries Protection Squadron of the Royal Navy before being sold in September 1988. She was broken up at Bruges by 29 December 1988.^[2]

She is the only ship of the name to serve in the Royal Navy to date.

Commanding Officers

From	To	Captain
1977	1977	Lieutenant Commander R B M Fawcett RD RNR

References

1. Janes Fighting Ships. Blackman, Raymond VB. McGraw Hill Canada 1955
2. http://www.military-genealogy.org.uk/4258/HMS_Hodgeston
3. Official Souvenir Programme, 1977. Silver Jubilee Fleet Review, HMSO

Publications

• 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.