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HMS Launceston Castle

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History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Launceston Castle
NamesakeLaunceston Castle
BuilderBlyth Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down27 May 1943
Launched27 November 1943
Commissioned20 June 1944
Decommissioned1947
Identificationpennant number K397
FateScrapped 3 August 1959
General characteristics
Class and typeCastle-class corvette

HMS Launceston Castle (K397) was a Castle-class corvette of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, named after Launceston Castle in Cornwall. The ship was constructed during the Second World War and saw service primarily as a convoy escort.

Design

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The Castle-class corvettes were an improved and enlarged derivative of the earlier Flower-class corvettes, which was intended to be built by shipyards that could not build the larger and more capable frigates. The greater length of the Castles gave made them better seaboats than the Flowers, which were not originally designed for ocean escort work. Large numbers (96 in total) were ordered in late 1942 and early 1943 from shipyards in the United Kingdom and Canada, but Allied successes in the Battle of the Atlantic meant that the requirement for escorts was reduced, and many ships (including all the Canadian ones) were cancelled.[1][2]

The Castles were 252 feet 0 inches (76.81 m) long overall, 234 feet 0 inches (71.32 m) at the waterline and 225 feet 0 inches (68.58 m) between perpendiculars. Beam was 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m) and draught was 13 feet 5 inches (4.09 m) aft at full load.[3] Displacement was about 1,060 long tons (1,080 t) standard and 1,590–1,630 long tons (1,620–1,660 t) full load.[4] Two Admiralty Three-drum water tube boilers fed steam to a vertical triple expansion engine rated at 2,750 indicated horsepower (2,050 kW) which drove a single propeller shaft. This gave a speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).[4] 480 tons of oil were carried, giving a range of 6,200 nautical miles (11,500 km; 7,100 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[5]

The ships had a main gun armament of a single QF 4-inch Mk XIX dual-purpose gun, backed up by two twin and two single Oerlikon 20 mm cannon.[5] Anti-submarine armament consisted of a single triple-barrelled Squid anti-submarine mortar with 81 depth charges backed up by two depth charge throwers and a single depth charge rail, with 15 depth charges carried. Type 272 or Type 277 surface search radar was fitted, as was high-frequency direction finding (HF/DF) gear. The ships' sonar outfit was Type 145 and Type 147B.[6]

Service history

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Launceston Castle was ordered on 19 January 1943, one of 14 Castle-class corvettes ordered that day (of which three were cancelled and two completed as rescue ships). The ship was laid down at Blyth Shipbuilding's Blyth, Northumberland shipyard as Yard number 295 on 27 May 1943, with the ship's machinery being built by White's Marine Engineering Company at Hebburn.[7][8][9] Launceston Castle was launched on 27 November 1943 and completed on 20 June 1944, and was allocated the Pennant number K397.[7] She was the first Royal Navy ship to be called Launceston Castle.[10]

In the Second World War she served as a convoy escort. After commissioning, Launceston Castle joined Escort Group B4.[11][12] In August 1944, Escort Group B4 was redesignated as the 30th Escort Group commanded by Denys Rayner, who carried his flag on board HMS Pevensey Castle.[11][13] On 11 November 1944, Launceston Castle, along with sister ships of the 30th Escort Group, Pevensey Castle, Kenilworth Castle and Portchester Castle, carried out a series of attacks against a sonar target with Squid and depth charges off the south of Ireland, bringing up oil and a large air bubble, and were credited with sinking the submarine, which was later identified as the German submarine U-1200.[14][15] In 1999, however, the wreck of U-1200 was found south-east of Start Point, Devon, with the cause of the submarine's loss uncertain. The 30th Escort Group is now believed to have attacked a non-submarine target.[16][17]

Launceston Castle continued to serve with the 30th Escort Group for the rest of the war in Europe, but in July–October 1945, was employed on air-sea rescue duties operating out of Freetown.[11]

In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Friedman 2008, p. 156
  2. ^ Brown 2012, p. 136
  3. ^ Friedman 2008, p. 324
  4. ^ a b Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 63
  5. ^ a b Elliott 1977, p. 205
  6. ^ Brown 2007, pp. 126–127
  7. ^ a b Friedman 2008, p. 344
  8. ^ Goodwin 2007, p. 215
  9. ^ "Launceston Castle". Shipping and Shipbuilders. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  10. ^ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 195
  11. ^ a b c Goodwin 2007, pp. 215–216
  12. ^ Rohwer & Hümmelchen 1992, p. 279
  13. ^ Rayner 1955, p. 218
  14. ^ Goodwin 2007, pp. 46–47, 219–222
  15. ^ Rayner 1955, pp. 225–229
  16. ^ Niestlé 2014, pp. 97, 228
  17. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-1200". U-boat.net. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  18. ^ Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15 June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden

Bibliography

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  • Brown, David K. (2007). Atlantic Escorts: Ships, Weapons & Tactics in World War II. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-702-0.
  • Brown, David K. (2012). Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-149-6..
  • 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.
  • Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A Complete Survey. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-08401-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (2008). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-015-4.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Goodwin, Norman (2007). Castle Class Corvettes: An Account of the Service of the Ships and of their Ships' Companies. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904459-279.
  • Niestlé, Axel (2014). German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. Barnsley, UK: Frontline Books. ISBN 978-1-84832-210-3.
  • Rayner, D. A. (1955). Escort: The Battle of the Atlantic (Second ed.). London: William Kimber.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hümmelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-117-7.
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