HMS Foylebank
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Foylebank (MV Foylebank of Bank Line, Andrew Weir Shipping) |
| Builder | Harland and Wolff, Belfast , Northern Ireland |
| Launched | 12 June 1930 |
| Acquired | 1939 |
| Commissioned | 6 June 1940 |
| Fate | Sunk, 5 July 1940 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 5,582 tons |
| Propulsion | 2 oil engines, 16 cylinders, twin screw |
| Speed | 11 knots |
| Complement | 290–300 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Foylebank was a converted 5,500 ton
Second World War. She was launched as the MV Foylebank by Bank Line (Andrew Weir Shipping) in 1930 and requisitioned by the Royal Navy in September 1939.[1] She was converted into an anti-aircraft ship, equipped with 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns, two quad 2-pounder pom-poms and four twin high angle 4-inch gun turrets. The Foylebank saw action in Portland Harbour next to the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England. She arrived in Portland on 9 June 1940 for a work-up to anti-aircraft duties commanded by Captain Henry P. Wilson.[2]
Fate
On 4 July 1940 whilst the majority of her crew were at breakfast, unidentified aircraft were reported to the south. These were originally thought to be Allied aircraft returning to base but they turned out to be 26
Jack Foreman Mantle, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in defending the ship from aircraft whilst mortally injured.[3]
Salvage
The Foylebank was later salvaged in two sections. The forward section was broken up at Falmouth, Cornwall in 1947, the aft section was broken up at Thos. W. Ward Grays in Essex in 1952. Some fragments remain on the seabed and one piece has been recovered and presented to the Portland Museum.
References
- ^ "Foylebank". Heritage Coast. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
- ^ DreadnoughtProject.org page on Wilson.
- ^ "Jack Mantle VC". victoriacross.org. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
50°34′37″N 2°25′10″W / 50.57694°N 2.41944°W
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1940 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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