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HMS Bronington (M1115), West Float, Birkenhead (geograph 4520417).jpg
HMS Bronington laid up at Gilbrook Basin, West Float, Birkenhead
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Bronington
NamesakeBronington, Wales
BuilderCook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley
Laid down30 May 1951
Launched19 March 1953
Commissioned4 June 1954
Decommissioned30 June 1988
IdentificationPennant number: M1115
FateSunk at her moorings in March 2016. Still partially sunk.
General characteristics
Class and typeTon-class minesweeper
Displacement440 long tons (450 t)
Length153 ft (46.6 m)
Beam28.9 ft (8.8 m)
Draught8.2 ft (2.5 m)
Propulsion2 × Paxman Deltic 18A-7A diesel engines at 3,000 bhp (2,200 kW)
SpeedCruise 13 knots (24 km/h) on one engine. Max 16 knots (30 km/h) on both
Range2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement32
Armament1 x Bofors 40 mm gun

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).

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]

Charles, Prince of Wales, commanded the vessel between 9 February and 15 December 1976. Subsequently, under the command of his successor, Lieutenant A. B. Gough R. N., it ran aground in the River Avon while departing from Bristol.[3]

After being decommissioned from service, the ship was purchased in January 1989 by the Bronington Trust, a registered charity whose patron is the Prince of Wales.[3] For some time, the ship was berthed in the Manchester Ship Canal at Trafford Park, Greater Manchester, England and was open to visitors for ten years. 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, Bronington sank at her moorings.[4]

As of 2022, the ship is still partially submerged. It was reported in May 2022 that the Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations unit would be conducting a training dive in late June to establish the underwater status of the vessel. If the survey is positive and the funding can be raised, she will then be transferred to a shipyard for restoration.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.
  5. ^ Steve Deeks, Royal Navy's HMS Bronington: Former crew on 'last of wooden walls' warship fondly remember service as restoration efforts set to step up, The News (Portsmouth), 18 May 2022, accessed 12 July 2022

External links


Coordinates: 53°24′11.4″N 3°02′46.7″W / 53.403167°N 3.046306°W / 53.403167; -3.046306

Ton-class minesweepers
Ships and vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2016
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