Bangor class minesweeper

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HMS Bangor (J.00)

Bangor Class Minesweepers were employed as Fleet (i.e. Open Water) minesweepers for the Royal Navy. Over a hundred were built, mainly between 1940 and 1942. The first two were launched on the same day (19 February 1940) at Belfast, Northern Ireland. Additional vessels were built during the war for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Royal Indian Navy (RIN).

Their small size made them poor sea-boats, worse even than the Flower class corvettes; the diesel versions were the worst and the slow-speed reciprocating the best. Their shallow draft (9 feet, 2.7 metres) made them unstable and their short, stubby hulls meant that they tended to bury their noses into head seas.

They were also very crowded, cramming up-to 90 ratings and six officers into a hull originally intended for a total of 40 officers and men.

Contents

1 Variants

1.1 Diesel-Engined
1.2 Reciprocating-Engined
1.3 Turbine-Engined

2 Vessels in Class

2.1 A
2.2 B
2.3 C
2.4 D
2.5 E
2.6 F
2.7 G
2.8 H
2.9 I
2.10 Others

3 The Modern HMS Bangor
4 Sources
5 External Links

Variants

The original intent of the Bangor class minesweeper design was to provide a coastal equivalent of the Halcyon class minesweeper but the realities brought to light by the start of the war caused a modification of the design before construction started.

The need for fast construction coupled with the limitations of engineering resources resulted in several variations existing based on the availability of propulsion machinery. They all had twin screws, but the machinery was a mix of steam turbine, slow-speed steam reciprocating, high-speed steam reciprocating and diesel. The diesel powered examples were about 20 feet (6 metres) shorter than the rest as they had no need for boiler rooms. Displacement varied with propulsion machinery in the range 590 to 672 tons.

Diesel-Engined

Displacement: 590 tons
Dimensions: 162 x 28 x 8¼ ft
Machinery: 2-shaft Diesel motors; 2000 BHP = 16 knots
Armament: British vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 4x .5-inch A.A. (1x4); Canadian vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 4x .303-inch A.A. (2x2)
Complement: 60

Reciprocating-Engined

Displacement: 672 tons
Dimensions: 180x 28½ x 8¼ ft
Machinery: 2-shaft Reciprocating engine; 2400 IHP = 16 knots
Armament: British vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 4x .5-inch A.A. (1x4); Canadian vessels 1x 4-inch gun, 4x .303 A.A. (2x2); Indian vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 3x 20mm A.A. (3x1)
Complement: RN 60, RCN 70, RIN 87

Turbine-Engined

Displacement: 656 tons
Dimensions: 174 x 28½ x 8¼ ft
Machinery: 2-shaft Turbines; 2400 SHP = 16 knots
Armament: British vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 4x .5-inch A.A. (1x4); Indian vessels 1x 3-inch A.A., 2x 20mm (2x1)
Complement: RN 60, RIN 87

Vessels in Class

A

HMS Ardrossan (J.131) - built Blyth: White's, turbine-engined, launched 22 July, 1941.

B

Banff - renamed to HMS Hythe.
Balucistan - see HMS Greenock.
HMS Bangor (J.00)
HMCS Bayfield (J.08) - built Port Arthur, reciprocating-engined, launched 26 May, 1941, commissioned into RCN.
Beaulieu - renamed to HMS Lantan.
HMS Beaumaris (J.07) - built Ailsa, turbine-engined, launched 31 October, 1940.
HMCS Bellechasse (J.170) - built Burrand, reciprocating-engined, launched 20 October, 1941, RCN.
HMIS Bihar (J.247) - built Garden Reach, reciprocating-engined, launched 7 July, 1942, commissioned into RIN.
HMS Blackpool (J.27) - built Harland & Wolff, diesel-engined, launched 4 July, 1940.
HMS Blyth (J.15) - built Blyth: White's, reciprocating-engined, launched 2 September, 1940.
HMS Bootle (J.143) - built Ailsa, turbine-engined, launched 23 October, 1941.
HMS Boston (J.140 - built Ailsa, turbine-engined, launched 30 December, 1940.
HMS Bridlington (J.65) - built Denny: Harland & Wolff, diesel-engined, launched 29 February, 1940.
HMS Bridport (J.50) - built Denny: Harland & Wolff, diesel-engined, launched 29 February, 1940.
HMS Brixham (J.105) - built Blyth: White's, turbine-engined, launched 21 October, 1941.
HMS Brockville (J.270) - built Marine Industries, diesel-engined, launched 20 June, 1941.
HMS Bude (J.116) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 4 September, 1940.
HMCS Burlington (J.250) - built Dufferin, reciprocating-engined, launched 23 November, 1940, RCN.

C

HMS Canso (J.21) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 9 June, 1941, transferred to RCN in 1942.
HMS Caraquet (J.38) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 2 June, 1941, transferred to RCN 1942.
HMCS Chedabucto (J.168) - built Burrard, reciprocating-engined, launched 12 December, 1940, RCN.
HMS Chignecto (J.174) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 2 June, 1941, RCN.
HMS Clacton (J.151) - built Ailsa, turbine-engined, launched 19 December, 1941.
HMCS Clayoquot - built Prince Rupert, reciprocating-engined, launched 3 October, 1940, RCN.
HMS Clydebank (J.200) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 2 September, 1941.
HMCS Courtenay (J.262) - built Prince Rupert, reciprocating-engined, launched 2 August, 1941, RCN.
HMCS Cowichan (J.146) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 9 August, 1940, RCN.
HMS Cromarty (J.09) - built Blyth: White's, launched 24 February, 1941.
HMS Cromer (J.128) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 7 October, 1940.

D

HMCS Digby (J.267) - built Davie, diesel-engined, launched 5 June, 1942, commissioned into RCN.
HMCS Drummond (J.253) - built Canadian Vickers, reciprocating-engined, launched 21 April, 1941, RCN.
HMS Dornoch (J.173) - built Aisla, turbine-engined, launched 4 February, 1942.
HMS Dunbar (J.53) - built Blyth: Whites Marine Engineering, launched 5 June, 1941.

E

HMCS Esquimalt (J.272) - built Marine Industries, diesel-engined, launched 8 August, 1941, commissioned into RCN.
HMS Eastbourne (J.127) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 5 November, 1940.

F

HMS Felixstowe (J.126) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 15 January, 1941.
HMS Fraserburgh (J.124) - built Lobnitz, reciprocating-engined, launched 12 May, 1941.
HMCS Fort William (J.311) - built Port Arthur, reciprocating-engined, launched 30 December, 1941, commissioned into RCN.
HMCS Fort York (J.119) - built Dufferin, reciprocating-engined, launched 24 August, 1941, RCN.

G

HMCS Granby (J.264) - built Davie, diesel-engined, launched 9 June, 1941, commissioned into RCN.
HMCS Gananoque (J.259) - built Dufferin, reciprocating-engined, launched 23 April, 1941, RCN.
HMCS Georgian (J.144) - built Dufferin, reciprocating-engined, launched 28 January, 1941, RCN.
HMCS Goderich' (J.260) - built Dufferin, reciprocating-engined, launched 14 May, 1941, RCN.
HMCS Grandmere' (J.258) - built Canadian Vickers, reciprocating-engined, launched 21 August, 1941, RCN.
HMCS Guysborough (J.52) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 21 July, 1941, RCN.
HMS Greenock (J.182) - built Blyth: White's, turbine-engined, launched 11 May, 1942, transferred to RIN 1942 as HMIS Balucistan.

H

HMS Hatlepool (J.155) - built Blyth: White's, turbine-engined, launched 14 July, 1942, transferred to RIN 1942 as HMIS Kathiawar.
HMS Harwich (J.190) - built Hamilton: Parsons, turbine engined, launched 17 February, 1942, transferred to RIN 1942 as HMIS Khyber.
HMS Hythe (J.194)

I

HMCS Ingonish (J.69) - built North Vancouver, reciprocating-engined, launched 30 July, 1941, commissioned into RCN.
HMS Ilfracombe (J.95) - built Hamilton: White's, turbine-engined, launched 29 January, 1941.

Others

Kathiawar - see HMS Hartlepool.
Khyber - see HMS Harwich.
Peterhead
HMS Rye (J.76)
Stornoway
Whitehaven

The Modern HMS Bangor

The Bangor class tradition continues in the modern Royal Navy with HMS Bangor (M109), a Sandown class minesweeper. HMS Bangor is the ninth of the Sandown class of minehunters and was built by Vosper Thorneycroft UK Ltd at Woolston, Southampton. She was launched on the 16 April, 1999 by Lady Lisa Spencer. She carries the battle honours of the old J.00 from the Dieppe Raid in 1942, Normandy and the English Channel in 1944. She has since earned her own battle honour for operations at Al Faw in 2003.

Sources

Warships of World War II, by H. T. Lenton & J. J. Colledge, pub. Ian Allen Ltd.

External Links

[Bangor class minesweepers] - uboat.net
[Canadian Bangor class] - hazegray.org
[HMS Bangor, modern Sandown class minesweeper] - royal-navy.mod.uk

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