HMS Halsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers of the Royal Navy. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Halsham in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Halsham |
| Namesake | Halsham |
| Builder | Jones Buckie Slip & Shipyard |
| Launched | 22 September 1953 |
| Completed | 9 July 1954 |
| Fate | Sold 1981 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ham-class minesweeper |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 21 ft 4 in (6.50 m) |
| Draught | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) |
| Complement | 2 officers, 13 ratings |
| Armament | 1 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun or Oerlikon 20 mm cannon |
| Notes | Pennant number(s): M2633 / IMS35 |
She was transferred from the Royal Navy to Royal Air Force duties in 1966, renamed No.5002 (later No.5012) and converted to a research and trials vessel for Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. By 1972, she was the only remaining RAF-operated marine asset, and to provide continued efficient management she was transferred to the Royal Corps of Transport's civilian fleet and renamed Richard George Masters (later chortened to R G Masters).[1] Private Masters was the sole recipient of the Victoria Cross in the Royal Army Service Corps during the First World War.[2]
In 1979 she was withdrawn from military service, and then sold to Pounds Shipowners & Shipbreakers at Portsmouth, who resold her in 1981 to Greek shipowners Petrakis Line of Corfu. She was renamed Sotirakis and converted to a tourist excursion boat.[3]
Notes edit
- ^ Habesch, David (2001). The Army's Navy : British Military Vessels and their History since Henry VIII. London: Chatham Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 1-86176-157-0.
- ^ "Ship Named after War Hero". Liverpool Echo. No. 28912. 19 December 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Halsham". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
References edit
- Blackman, R.V.B. ed. Jane's Fighting Ships (1953)
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