Abdiel-class minelayer

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

HMS Apollo in August 1945
Class overview
NameAbdiel class
Operators Royal Navy
In commission1941–1972
Completed6
Lost3
Retired3
General characteristics
TypeMinelayer
Displacement
  • 2,650 tons (standard)
  • 3,415 tons (
    full load
    ) (1938 group)
  • 3,475 tons (full load) (WEP group)
Length
  • 400 ft 6 in (122.07 m) (p/p)
  • 418 ft (127 m) (o/a)
Beam40 ft (12 m)
Draught
  • 11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)
  • 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m) (full load)
Propulsion
Speed38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) (up to 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) at light load)
Range1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) 5,810 nmi (10,760 km; 6,690 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement242
Armament
  • 1938 group:
  • 6 ×
    HA/LA
    Mk.XIX
  • 4 ×
    QF 2-pounder (40 mm) Mk.VIII
    on quadruple mount Mk.VII
  • 8 × 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Vickers machine guns on quadruple mount Mk.I (later up to 12 × 20 mm Oerlikon on single mounts P Mk.III or twin mounts Mk.V)
  • 156
    mines
  • WEP group:
  • 4 × QF 4 in Mark XVI on twin mounts HA/LA Mk.XIX
  • 4 (Apollo) / 6 (Ariadne) ×
    40 mm Bofors
    on twin mounts "Hazemeyer" Mk.IV
  • Up to 12 × 20 mm Oerlikon on single mounts P Mk.III or twin mounts Mk.V (later up to 6 × 40 mm Bofors on single mounts Mark V "Boffin"
  • 156 mines

The Abdiel class were a

mines. They were easily mistaken for destroyers
. Half the class was lost through enemy action during the Second World War; the others saw post-war service, and the last example was scrapped in the early 1970s.

Design

The

freeboard was required. The mines were laid through doors in the stern; the ships carried their own cranes for loading.[1]

In size these ships were almost as long as a

kW) on two shafts, they made 39.75 knots (73.62 km/h; 45.74 mph) light and 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) deep load. To put this into perspective, the contemporary Town-class cruisers
had 80,000 shp (60,000 kW) and a full load displacement of 12,980 tons, just short of four times that of the Abdiels.

The ships were initially to be armed much as destroyers, with three twin

HA/LA Mark XIX mounts for QF 4-inch (100 mm) L/45 Mark XIV guns, with an elevation of 70°, in 'A', 'B' and 'X' positions, a quadruple "multiple pom-pom" mounting Mark VIII for the QF 2-pounder Mark VIII and a pair of quadruple 0.5-inch Vickers machine guns.[1]

Wartime modifications involved adding a

Bofors 40 mm guns sited amidships, replacing the pom-pom in 'Q' position, and these mounts carried their own Type 282 Radar for target ranging; Ariadne had an additional "Hazemeyer" mounting in 'B' position, replacing the 4-inch guns. In July 1945, Ariadne was refitted in the United States for far eastern service, when the Bofors mounts were replaced by American pattern models (Mark I) with off-mounting "simple tachymetric directors" (STD) fitted with Type 282 Radar
and the Oerlikon mounts re-gunned with Bofors guns (this combination was known as the "Boffin").

While generally a successful design, these ships suffered from two fundamental problems. The first was their low endurance. Designed for an endurance of 5,300 miles (8,500 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) after six months out of dock, sea trials showed 4,680 miles (7,530 km) to be a more realistic estimate and this endurance dropped sharply at high speeds.[2] This limited their ability to deploy even in the constricted waters of the Mediterranean Sea to the point that Admiral Cunningham recommended that ships still under construction be fitted with additional fuel tanks, which was done for the last two vessels.[3] The second problem lay in their vulnerability to damage. They had no armour protection or anti-torpedo bulges and their large machinery spaces and large, undivided mining deck limited their internal compartmentalization, which left them vulnerable to flooding.[4]

Service

Although they were effective ships in their intended role, the combination of high internal capacity and exceptionally high speed meant that they were equally valuable as fast transports.

bow was fitted, funnel caps were added, the mine chutes were plated over and a false deckline was painted on to camouflage the high flush deck. Manxman received a similar disguise to pass for the Vichy contre torpilleur Léopard so she could pass Corsica and mine the approaches to Livorno
.

On 25 October 1941, Latona was hit by a 250 lb (110 kg) bomb in the engine room, causing a serious fire that spread to the munitions she was carrying and resulting in her loss. Welshman was torpedoed and sunk by U-617 in 1943. Manxman was torpedoed in her engine room but survived, although repairs took two years.

Apollo, Ariadne and Manxman survived the war and saw post-war service, with their

Brown on Resolution
; for this her funnels were enlarged to alter her outline, dummy 6-inch barrels were fitted over her 4-inch guns, and her bow was painted to indicate 'torpedo damage'.

Ships

Type Name Builder Laid Down Launched Completed Fate
1938 group Abdiel
J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes
 29 March 1939 23 April 1940 15 April 1941 Sunk by mines on 9 September 1943 in Taranto Bay.
Latona
Woolston
 4 March 1939 20 August 1940 4 May 1941 Bombed by Italian aircraft off Libya north of Bardia and foundered on 25 October 1941.
Manxman
Alexander Stephen & Sons, Linthouse
 24 March 1939 5 September 1940 20 June 1941 Sold for scrap in 1972.
Welshman
Hawthorn Leslie & Company, Hebburn
 8 June 1939 4 September 1940 25 August 1941 Torpedoed by U-617 off Crete on 1 February 1943
War Emergency Programme (WEP) group Ariadne A. Stephen & Sons Ltd 10 October 1941 5 April 1943 12 February 1944 Sold for scrap in June 1965
Apollo Hawthorn Leslie and Company 15 November 1941 16 February 1943 9 October 1943 Sold for scrap in 1962

See also

  • List of ship classes of the Second World War

References

  1. ^ a b Cocker, 22.
  2. ^ Nicholson, 43.
  3. ^ Nicholson, 66.
  4. ^ Nicholson, 40.
  5. ^ Cocker, 22–23.
  6. ^ "WW2 People's War – A Good Morning: Malta 1942". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2006.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abdiel class minelayer.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abdiel-class_minelayer&oldid=1228916221"