Halcyon Class Minesweepers

Halcyon Class Ships
Specifications

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1937 Specs

 



HMS Salamander being launched at J S White, Cowes -  24th March 1936
 

List of Halcyon Class ships in order of date of commissioning
 
Ship
No.* Commissioned

Built by (Engine builder in brackets)

Sunk, scrapped etc
 Halcyon

J42

18 Apr 1934
J Brown, Clydebank (J Brown)
19 Apr 1950 
 Skipjack
J38 03 May 1934
J Brown, Clydebank (J Brown)
01 Jun 1940  Sunk
 Harrier
J71

09 Nov 1934

Thornycroft at Woolston (Thornycroft)
06 Jun 1950 
 Hussar
J82

16 Jan 1935

Thornycroft at Woolston (Thornycroft)
27 Aug 1944  Sunk
 Speedwell
J87 30 Sep 1935
Hamilton, Port Glasgow (Beardmore, Dalmuir)
11 May 1954 
 
Niger J73

04 Jun 1936

J S White at Cowes (White) 06 July 1942 Sunk
Salamander J86

18 Jul 1936

J S White at Cowes (White) 7 May 1947 Damaged Aug 44
 
 Hebe J24

23 Oct 1937

HM Dockyard Devonport (White, Cowes) 22 Nov 1943 Sunk
 Hazard J02 24 Nov 1937 Gray, West Hartlepool (Central Marine Eng Wks, W Hartlepool) May 1949
 Sharpshooter (Shackleton) J68**

17 Dec 1937

HM Dockyard Devonport (White, Cowes) Nov 1965
 Gleaner J83 30 Mar 1938 Gray, West Hartlepool (Central Marine Eng Wks, W Hartlepool) May 1950
 Gossamer J63 31 Mar 1938 Hamilton, Port Glasgow ( A. Stephen & Sons Linthouse) 24 Jun 1942 Sunk
 Leda J93 19 May 1938 HM Dockyard Devonport (Richardson Westgarth, W Hartlepool) 20 Sep 1942 Sunk
 Seagull J85** 30 May 1938 HM Dockyard Devonport (Richardson Westgarth, W Hartlepool) May 1956
 Jason J99 09 Jun 1938 Ailsa, Troon (Thornycroft, Woolston)  1950
 Franklin J84** 17 Aug 1938 Ailsa, Troon (Thornycroft, Woolston)  1956
 Scott J79**

23 Feb 1939

Caledon, Dundee (Parsons, Wallsend) July 1965
 Speedy J17

07 Apr 1939

Hamilton, Port Glasgow (White, Cowes) 1957
 Bramble
J11 22 Jun 1939 HM Dockyard Devonport (Barclay Curle, Whiteinch) 31 Dec 1942 Sunk
 Sphinx J69

27 Jul 1939

Hamilton, Port Glasgow (White, Cowes) 3 Feb 1940 Sunk
 Britomart
J22 24 Aug 1939 HM Dockyard Devonport (Barclay Curle, Whiteinch) 27 Aug 1944 Sunk

*Note: Pennant number prefixes changed from 'N' to 'J' in 1940.

**Note: Pennants from 1948 were:   Franklin A304,  Scott A308, Seagull A309, Sharpshooter/Shackleton A310.

Article Source: British and Empire Warships of World War 2, H T Lenton

Origins of Design (See also 'Trials 1936')

Although the original intention of the sloop replacement programme was to provide a dual purpose escort/minesweeper it was soon appreciated that the escort sloop would continue to increase in size, and would so prove an uneconomic minesweeper design. Also, sloops were being provided in too small numbers for any to be spared for minesweeping. Consequently, a separate minesweeper replacement programme was initiated in 1931 so that some economy could be effected in unit size, as a minesweeping sloop did not need the armament or radius of action of the escort sloop.

By the nature of its work the minesweeper had to be as small as possible to secure handiness and a shallow draught, and it was so hampered while engaged in sweeping that there was little point in providing other than a basic defensive armament. For protection, the minesweeper relied on cover provided by other warships and/or aircraft. The policy when attacked was not to slip the sweep, but to keep sweeping as long as possible depending on the effectiveness of the surface and/or air cover provided.

As a result the Halcyon was some 20ft shorter and displaced some 175 tons less than the contemporary Grimsby, mounted a 4in AA forward and a 4in LA aft (it should have been two AA guns but a shortage of AA mountings resulted in an old destroyer LA being substituted for the after gun), and provided a thoroughly satisfactory vessel. 

The First Group had reciprocating engines as conservative opinion regarded this as the most suitable machinery in view of the frequent changes of speed, but the following second group all received turbines with no loss of efficiency. The Second Group of Niger and Salamander had straightforward vertical triple expansion and the Third Group had geared turbines. The latter group also shipped the after gun on an HA mounting, and had a multiple machine gun added abaft the funnel. This was the dual-purpose concept in reverse, as stripped of sweeping gear and fitted with depth charges in lieu they could be utilised for escort work, and were so employed frequently during the war.

Gleaner, Franklin, Jason and Scott were completed as surveying vessels, and the Sharpshooter and Seagull were converted to this role after the war. Jason and Gleaner reverted to minesweepers/escort vessels on the outbreak of war. Franklin and Scott retained the surveying chartroom aft; and so only mounted a 12 pounder AA gun forward. The Seagull was the first all-welded vessel built for the Royal Navy. 

Early in the war some units used for escort work - such as the Britomart and Seagull - had multiple machine guns added on each side of the bridge, the rangefinder replaced by a HA DCT, the multiple machine guns amidships were taken out, and two 20mm AA (2x1) were added on the quarter deck. War modifications, however were otherwise mainly limited to the addition of two 20mm AA (2x1) guns on the bridge wings, SW.271 RDF replaced the rangefinder on the bridge, the multiple machine gun - where fitted- was taken out together with the mainmast, and in some units the after 4in AA gun was also replaced by two 20mm AA (2x1) guns. 

Note: Although originally classified as Sloops, the term was dropped in 1937 and new vessels were classified as either escorts, patrol vessels or minesweepers. 

Source: http://gb-navy-ww2.narod.ru/HTM-MS-halcyon.html

Halcyon Design not adopted in Canada

...Ideally, the RCN wanted to use Halcyon-class sloops as its primary auxiliary vessel. Built for the RN in the late 1930s, these vessels were suitable for local patrols, anti-submarine work and bringing the defended port system up to proper strength. However, the sloop was a naval design, built to naval standards, and the most recent ones were outfitted with steam turbine engines. Its specifications for scantlings and steel, higher standards of watertight subdivision, duplication and separation of vital command and communications systems, and the like, were all designed to absorb some level of damage and keep functioning. Unfortunately, no yard in Canada had yet developed expertise in building to naval standards, and no Canadian firm built marine turbine engines.

And so the auxiliary vessel problem was solved by adopting a new British design called a 'whale catcher,' plans for which had been obtained by the National Research Council during a technical mission in July 1939. Although the corvette, as the whale catcher was soon dubbed, did not fit into the RCN's proper expansion plans, it had several crucial characteristics in the hectic summer days of 1939. First, it was suitable as an auxiliary vessel for the defended ports. Second, the corvette had all the same basic features as the Halcyon-class-about 245 feet in length, 850 tons, steam-reciprocating engines with a top speed of 16-17 knots. In fact, the RN abandoned construction of the Halcyon in 1939 in favour of the corvette, which could be built cheaply and in large numbers....

http://www.legionmagazine.com/features/canadianmilitaryhistory/07-05.asp

 


FIRST GROUP
 

Name

Pennant

Builder

Laid Down

Launched

Completed

HALCYON

J42

John Brown (Clydebank)

27 Mar. 1933

20 Dec. 1933

18 Apr. 1934

HARRIER

J71

Thornycroft (Woolston)

11 Jul 1933

17 Apr. 1934

9 Nov. 1934

HUSSAR

J82

Thornycroft (Woolston)

10 Aug. 1933

27 Aug. 1934

16 Jan. 1935

SKIPJACK

J38

John Brown (Clydebank)

4 Apr. 1933

18 Jan. 1934

3 May 1934

SPEEDWELL

J87

Hamilton (Beardmore)

20 Jun. 1934

21 Mar. 1935

30 Sep. 1935

Dimensions

Standard Displacement

815 tons

Length

245' 9"

Full Displacement

1370 tons

Beam

33' 6"

Load

555 tons

Draught

9'

Performance & Propulsion

Endurance

7000nm @ 10 knots, 4200 nm@ 15 knots

Speed

17 knots

Propulsion

2 x Admiralty 3drum boilers, 2 x compound reciprocating engines driving 2 shafts @ 2000 hp

Armament & Complement

Complement

      80 (peace time)

Armaments

As completed

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" HA
    • 1 x 1 x 4" LA
    • 1 x 1 x 2pdr pompom
    • 8 x 1 x .303" machineguns
     

1939

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 1 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 4 x 1 x .303" machine guns

April 1942

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 2 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 2 x 1 x .303" machine guns

April 1943

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 2 x 1 or 2 x 20mm AA
    • 2 x 1 x .303" machine guns

October 1944

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 4 x 2 x 20mm AA
    • 4 x 1 x 20mm AA Speedwell
    • 2 x 1 x .303" machine guns

A/S

  • Anti Submarine
    • 4 x depth-charge throwers
    • 2 x depth-charge rails

 


SECOND GROUP
 

Name

Pennant

Builder

Laid Down

Launched

Completed

NIGER

J73

JS White, Cowes

1 Apr. 1935

29 Jan. 1936

4 Jun. 1936

SALAMANDER

J86

JS White, Cowes

18 Apr. 1935

24 Mar. 1936

18 Jul. 1936

Dimensions

Standard Displacement

815 tons

Length

241' 6"

Full Displacement

1330 tons

Beam

33' 6"

Load

515 tons

Draught

9'

Performance & Propulsion

Endurance

7000nm @ 10 knots, 4200 nm@ 15 knots

Speed

17 knots

Propulsion

2 x Admiralty 3drum boilers, 2 x triple-expansion reciprocating engines driving 2 shafts @ 2000 hp

Armament & Complement

Complement

  80 (peace time)

Armament

As completed

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" LA
    • 1 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 8 x 1 x .303" machine guns

1939

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 1 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 4 x 1 x .303" machine guns

April 1942

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 4 x 1 x 20mm
    • 2 x 1 x .303" machine guns

All

  • Anti Submarine
    • 4 x depthcharge throwers
    • 2 x depthcharge rails

 
Extract from Ships Particulars Record for HMS Gleaner, William Gray, Hartlepool
http://portcities.hartlepool.gov.uk/index.php


THIRD GROUP
 

Name

Pennant

Builder

Laid Down

Launched

Completed

GLEANER

J83

Grays (Central Marine) 

17 Jun. 1936

10 Jun. 1937

30 Mar. 1938

HAZARD

J02

Grays (Central Marine) 

27 May 1936

26 Feb. 1937

24 Nov. 1937

HEBE

J24

HM Dockyard Devonport (White)

27 Apr. 1936

28 Oct. 1936

23 Oct. 1937

SHARPSHOOTER

J68**

HM Dockyard Devonport (White)

8 Jun. 1936

10 Dec. 1936

17 Dec. 1937

FRANKLIN

J84**

Ailsa: Thornycroft (Southampton) 

17 Dec. 1936

22 Dec. 1937

17 Aug. 1938

JASON

J99

Ailsa: Thornycroft (Southampton) 

12 Dec. 1936

6 Oct. 1937

9 Jun. 1938

GOSSAMER

J63

Hamilton: A. Stephen & Sons (Glasgow, Scotland) 

2 Nov. 1936

5 Oct. 1937

31 Mar. 1938

LEDA

J93

HM Dockyard Devonport (Richardson Westgarth)

16 Nov. 1936

8 Jun. 1937

19 May 1938

SEAGULL

J85**

HM Dockyard Devonport (Westgarth)

15 Feb. 1937

28 Oct. 1937

30 May 1938

BRAMBLE

J11

HM Dockyard Devonport (Barclay Curle)

22 Nov. 1937

12 Jul. 1938

22 Jun. 1939

BRITOMART

J22

HM Dockyard Devonport (Barclay Curle)

1 Jan. 1938

23 Aug. 1938

24 Aug. 1939

SCOTT

J79**

Caledon (Parsons)

30 Aug. 1937

23 Aug. 1938

23 Feb. 1939

SPEEDY

J17

Hamilton (White)

1 Dec. 1937

24 Nov. 1938

7 Apr. 1939

SPHINX

J69

Hamilton (White)

17 Jan. 1938

7 Feb. 1939

27 Jul. 1939

Dimensions

Standard Displacement

875 tons

Length

245' 9"

Full Displacement

1350 tons

Beam

33' 6"

Load

475 tons

Draught

9'

Performance & Propulsion

Endurance

6000nm @ 10 knots, 4800 nm@ 15 knots

Speed

17 knots

Propulsion

2 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 x geared turbines driving 2 shafts @ 2000 hp

Armament & Complement

Complement

      80 (peace time)

Armament

As completed

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 1 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 4 x 1 x .303" machine guns

1941

  • Gun
    • 2 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 2 x 4 x 0.5" MG AA
    • 4 x 1 x .303" machine guns

April 1943

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 4 x 1 x 20 mm AA
    • 2 x 1 x .303" machine guns

April 1945

  • Gun
    • 1 x 1 x 4" AA
    • 2 x 2 x 20mm AA
    • 2 x 1 x 20mm AA

All

  • Anti Submarine
    • 4 x depthcharge throwers
    • 2 x depthcharge rails

For details of the camouflage paint colours used, go to http://www.jpsmodell.de/main_e.htm

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