HMS Wilton (M1116)
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| Wilton class minesweeper |  |
|---|---|
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 450 tons |
| Length: | 153 ft |
| Beam: | 29.2 ft |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft |
| Propulsion: | 2 x Napier Deltic 18-7A diesel engines @ 3,000 bhp |
| Range: | 2300 nm at 13 knots |
| Speed: | 16 knots |
| Complement: | 37 men |
| Armament: | 1 x Bofors 40 mm gun |
HMS Wilton (M1116) was a prototype coastal minesweeper/minehunter for the Royal Navy. She was the first warship in the world to be constructed from glass-reinforced plastic. Her design was based upon the existing Ton class minesweepers, and she was fitted with equipment recovered from the scrapped HMS Derriton. The use of GRP gave the vessel a low magnetic signature against the threat of magnetic mines.
Wilton was unofficially known as HMS Tupperware, HMS Indestructible, and 'the plastic duck'.
[edit] Details
- Builder: Vosper Thorneycroft, Woolston
- Ordered 11th February 1970
- Laid down: 7th August 1970
- Launched: 18th January 1972
- Commissioned: 14th July 1973
- Paid-off: 1994
- Sold: 2001, towed to Southampton for conversion as yacht club at Leigh-on-Sea
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- (1991) in Captain Richard Sharpe RN (ed): Jane's Fighting Ships 1991-92, 94th edition, Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0960-4.
