HMS Irwell (1926)
Minesweeper of the Royal Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
HMS Irwell was a Hunt-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during World War I.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Builder | Ayrshire Dockyard Company, Irvine |
| Launched | 12 August 1919 |
| Completed | April 1926 |
| Commissioned | April 1926 |
| Renamed | Irwell as a RNVR drillship in September 1926 |
| Fate | Arrived 27 November 1962 at Lacmotts, Liverpool for break up |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class |
| Displacement | 800 long tons (813 t) |
| Length | 213 ft (64.9 m) o/a |
| Beam | 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) |
| Draught | 7 ft 6 in (2.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 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 |
|
Design and description
The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 750 long tons (760 t) at normal load[1] and 930 long tons (940 t) at full load.[2] They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.[1]
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[1] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[3]
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 (3-inch (76.2 mm)) anti-aircraft gun aft.[1] Some ships were fitted with QF six-pounder (2.2-inch (57 mm)) Hotchkiss guns or QF three-pounder (1.5-inch (37 mm)) Hotchkiss guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.[3]
Construction and career
Goole, the first ship of her name in the Royal Navy, was built by the Ayrshire Dockyard Company at their shipyard in Irvine, North Ayrshire as Bridlington. The ship was renamed HMS Goole in 1918 before being launched on 12 August 1919. She was not completed until April 1926, when she was assigned to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a drillship. She was renamed again to Irwell in September 1926. She arrived at Lacmotts in Liverpool for breaking up on 27 November 1962.[4]