HMS Bronington (M1115)

HMS Bronington was a Ton-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 March 1953. This mahogany-hulled minesweeper was one of the last of the "wooden walls" (wooden-hulled naval vessels).

HMS Bronington laid up at Gilbrook Basin, West Float, Birkenhead
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Bronington
Namesake: Bronington, Wales
Builder: Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley
Laid down: 30 May 1951
Launched: 19 March 1953
Commissioned: 4 June 1954
Decommissioned: 30 June 1988
Identification: Pennant number: M1115
Fate: Sunk at her moorings in March 2016
General characteristics
Class and type: Ton-class minesweeper
Displacement: 440 long tons (450 t)
Length: 153 ft (46.6 m)
Beam: 28.9 ft (8.8 m)
Draught: 8.2 ft (2.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Paxman Deltic 18A-7A diesel engines at 3,000 bhp (2,200 kW)
Speed: Cruise 13 knots (24 km/h) on one engine. Max 16 knots (30 km/h) on both
Range: 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement: 32
Armament: 1 x Bofors 40 mm gun

Originally commissioned as HMS Humber on 4 June 1954, the vessel was renamed Bronington in 1959.[1] The vessel was converted into a minehunter at Rosyth Dockyard between 1963 and 1965, and was commissioned to, initially the 5th Minesweeper Squadron, and the 1st Mine Countermeasures Squadron on 5 January 1967.[2]

After being decommissioned from service, the ship was purchased in January 1989 by the Bronington Trust, a registered charity whose patron, Charles, Prince of Wales, commanded this vessel between 9 February and 15 December 1976.[3]

For some time, the ship was berthed in the Manchester Ship Canal at Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, England. On 11 July 2002, she became part of the collection of the Warship Preservation Trust and was moored at Birkenhead, Merseyside.[1] After the closure of the Warship Preservation Trust, she remained in storage, formerly alongside the Rothesay-class frigate HMS Plymouth, at Vittoria Dock, Birkenhead, and latterly in the West Float of Birkenhead Docks.

On 17 March 2016, HMS Bronington sank at her moorings.[4]

References
  1. Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: A Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy From the 15th Century to the Present. London: Chatham. p. 56. ISBN 1612000274.
  2. Brown, Paul (2010). Historic Ships: The Survivors. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN 1-84868-994-2.
  3. Brown, Michèle (1980). Prince Charles. London: Artus. p. 125. ISBN 0-51754-019-3.
  4. Graham, Barry (19 March 2016). "HMS BRONINGTON M1115". Shipspotting. Retrieved 21 March 2016.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.