HMS Denbigh Castle (K696)
 Denbigh Castle underway, 1945
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Denbigh Castle |
| Namesake | Denbigh Castle |
| Ordered | 19 December 1942 |
| Builder | John Lewis & Sons, Aberdeen |
| Laid down | 30 September 1943 |
| Launched | 5 August 1944 |
| Completed | 30 December 1944 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K696 |
| Honours and awards | Arctic 1945 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Castle-class corvette |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 252 ft (76.8 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 99 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
HMS Denbigh Castle (K696) was one of 44
capsized
. Her wreck was declared a total loss.
Design and description
The Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding
kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The Castles carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 99 officers and ratings.[1]
The Castle-class ships were equipped with a single
radio direction finder rounded out the Castles' sensor suite.[3]
Construction and career
Denbigh Castle, the only ship of her name to serve in the Royal Navy,launched on 5 August 1944 and completed on 30 December 1944. She arrived at Tobermory, Mull, Scotland, on 12 January 1945 to begin training at the Royal Navy's Anti-Submarine Training School, HMS Western Isles. Having completed training, Denbigh Castle arrived at Scapa Flow on 29 January to join the 7th Escort Group.[5]
Commanded by
bow and the crew thought that the ship had struck a mine. The explosion killed eleven ratings and threw the four-inch gun onto the Squid platform behind it. The remaining bow structure sagged downwards, although Denbigh Castle was in no danger of sinking. The destroyer Serapis transferred her medical officer over and the corvette Bluebell came alongside around 00:45 to receive casualties, and Butcher ordered as many ratings aboard her as he thought he could spare. Bluebell began towing Denbigh Castle at 02:05 and reached a maximum speed of 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph), Serapis screening the ships during the tow.[8]
The
list with the ebbing tide and the officers abandoned her at 09:05; five minutes later she capsized and slid into deeper water. The intense cold made later efforts to retrieve or destroy secret documents and equipment still aboard extremely difficult, but the diving team from the light cruiser Bellona did manage to demolish the radar office. In recognition of her service, Denbigh Castle was awarded the battle honour Arctic 1945.[9]
References
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.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Goodwin, Norman (2007). Castle Class Corvettes: An Account of the Service of the Ships and of Their Ships' Companies. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904459-27-9.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
External links
- HMS Denbigh Castle on uboat.net
- Castle Class Corvettes on www.worldnavalships.com
- HMS Denbigh Castle on www.wrecksite.eu
- Steel Corvettes Archived 2 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
69°20′N 33°33′E / 69.333°N 33.550°E
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in February 1945 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
