HMS Greetham (M2632)

History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Greetham
Namesake: Greetham, Lincolnshire
Builder: Herd & McKenzie
Launched: 19 April 1954
Completed: 5 February 1955
Fate: Transferred to Libya 1962
Libya
Name: Zuara
Acquired: November 1962
Decommissioned: 1973
Fate: Sold in Malta, 1973.
Malta
Name: Lady Davinia
Operator: Captain Morgan Cruises
Port of registry: Valletta
Acquired: 1973
Fate:
  • Sunk, 2008.
  • Partially destroyed, June 2011.
General characteristics
Class & type: Ham class minesweeper
Type: Minesweeper
Displacement:
  • 120 long tons (122 t) standard
  • 164 long tons (167 t) full load
Length:
  • 100 ft (30 m) p/p
  • 106 ft 6 in (32.46 m) o/a
Beam: 21 ft 4 in (6.50 m)
Draught: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Propulsion:
  • 2 shaft Paxman 12YHAXM diesels
  • 1,100 bhp (820 kW)
Speed: 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement: 2 officers, 13 ratings
Armament: 1 × Bofors 40 mm gun or Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Notes: Pennant number(s): M2632 / IMS34

HMS Greetham was one of 93 ships of the Ham-class of inshore minesweepers. All ships in this class had names chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Greetham, Lincolnshire.

Greetham was loaned to the Libyan Navy in November 1962, along with HMS Harpham. These were the first two ships in the newly formed Libyan Navy. She was transferred permanently in September 1966, and she was renamed Zuara. She was used as a coastal patrol vessel until 1973, when she was decommissioned.[1]

That year, Zuara was sold to Captain Morgan Cruises, a Maltese tour operator, and was renamed MV Lady Davinia. For a number of years she had a distinctive red and white Kit Kat paint scheme. In 2007 she was decommissioned and was laid up in Sliema Creek awaiting her fate. Lady Davinia sunk at her moorings in Sliema Creek in 2008. The exact date of sinking is unknown. The site quickly became popular with divers, as it was easily accessible and was full of marine life. Since it was not purposely sunk, the wreck was intact, with wine bottles and cutlery scattered around it, and soft drinks and beer cans still in the fridge.[2]

The wreck was to be lifted and broken up in June 2011 as it was considered a navigational hazard.[3] However, the workers only managed to remove part of the wreck, leaving the stern, engines and heaps of twisted metal at the bottom. Some remaining oil in the ship's tanks was spilt, and large holes were dug in the seabed. Due to this, most of the marine life area around the wreck was killed off.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Lady Davinia, Sliema Creek, Malta". MaltaHolidayPlanner.com. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "HMS Greentham & Lady Davinia". divesubway.com. Subway Dive Centre. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  3. ↑ "Lifting of vessel MV Lady Davinia". Maritime Directory. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "LADY Davina a.k.a. HMS Greetham". Facebook. Retrieved 16 November 2014.

Further reading


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