HMS Dunoon (J52)

History

United Kingdom
Builder:	Clyde Shipbuilding Co
Launched:	21 March 1919
Fate:	Sunk 30 April 1940 by a mine in the North Sea
Notes:	Pennant J52
General characteristics
Class & 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:	2 × Yarrow boilers 2,200 ihp (1,600 kW)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range:	1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement:	74
Armament:	1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun 1 × QF 12-pounder (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun

HMS Appledore was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was not finished in time to participate in the First World War and was sunk by a mine in 1920.

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 had a length between perpendiculars of 220 feet (67.1 m)^[1] and measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall. The Aberdares had a beam of 26 feet 6 inches (8.1 m) and a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.^[2]

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^[2] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[1]

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.^[2] Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.^[1]

Construction and career

HMS Dunoon was built by the Clyde Shipbuilding Company. In November 1939 she was sweeping for mines around Malta. The following month she was recalled to England, stopping at Gibraltar for fuel. She then worked in the North Sea as part of the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla, based at Great Yarmouth. In April 1940 she struck a mine at Smith's Knoll near Great Yarmouth and sank with the loss of 3 officers and 23 ratings.

Fiction

HMS Dunoon is featured in the 1958 book The Dragon Tree by Victor Canning

Notes

1 2 3 Cocker, p. 76
1 2 3 Gardiner & Gray, p. 98

References

Cocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-328-4.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

Coordinates: 52°45′N 2°23′E / 52.750°N 2.383°E / 52.750; 2.383

Hunt-class minesweeper (1916)

Belvoir group	Belvoir Bicester Blackmorevale Cattistock Cotswold Cottesmore Croome Dartmoor Garth Hambledon Heythrop Holderness Meynell Muskerry Oakley Pytchley Quorn Southdown Tedworth Zetland

Aberdare group	Aberdare Abingdon Albury Alresford Appledore Badminton Bagshot Banchory Barnstaple Battle Blackburn Bloxham Bootle Bradfield Burslem Bury Caerleon Camberley Carstairs Caterham Cheam Clonmel Craigie Cupar Derby Dorking Dundalk Dunoon Elgin Fairfield Fareham Fermoy Faversham Ford Forfar Forres Gaddesden Gainsborough Goole Gretna Harrow Havant Huntley Instow Irvine Kendal Kinross Leamington Longford Lydd Mallaig Malvern Marazion Marlow Mistley Monaghan Munlochy Nailsea Newark Northolt Pangbourne Penarth Petersfield Pontypool Prestatyn Repton Ross Rugby Salford Saltash Saltburn Selkirk Sherborne Shrewsbury Sligo Stafford Stoke Sutton Swindon Tiverton Tonbridge Tralee Tring Truro Wem Wexford Weybourne Widnes Yeovil

Survey ships	Beaufort Collinson Crozier Fitzroy Flinders Kellet

List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy

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