Minesweeper of the Royal Navy
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| History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Builder | Dunlop Bremner, Port Glasgow |
| Launched | 19 October 1918 |
| Out of service | Sold October 1928 to Townsend Bros and resold 8 December 1928 to become Forde |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1 May 1954 at Málaga |
| General characteristics |
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| Class and type | Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class |
| Displacement | 800 long tons (813 t) |
| Length | 213 ft (65 m) o/a |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.69 m) |
| Draught | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 74 |
| Armament | |
HMS Ford was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I.
Design and description
The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 800 long tons (810 t) at normal load. They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 26 feet 6 inches (8.1 m). They had a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.[1]
The ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Yarrow boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,200 indicated horsepower (1,600 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). They carried a maximum of 185 long tons (188 t) of coal[1] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]
The Aberdare sub-class was armed with a quick-firing (QF) four-inch (102 mm) gun forward of the bridge and a QF twelve-pounder (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun aft.[1] Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.[2]
Construction and career
Ford was built by Dunlop Bremmer in their Port Glasgow shipyard. The ship was renamed from HMS Fleetwood prior to being launched in 1918.
Service as Forde
In 1928 she was sold to Townsend Bros and converted into a car ferry between Dover and Calais, fitted with a stern door which folded down onto the quay. However, this was unusable, and the cars were craned on. She could carry 165 passengers and 26 cars. Two general saloons, a ladies’ saloon and three private state rooms were constructed.
During the Second World War, Forde served under the Admiralty as a salvage vessel. Afterwards she was refitted at Southampton and returned to Dover as a car ferry on 12 April 1947. She was withdrawn in October 1949, sold to Bland Line, renamed "Gibel Tarik" and finished her days as a car ferry between Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco, finally being withdrawn in 1954.
United Kingdom