HMS Hurst Castle underway in the Firth of Tay on completion. |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Hurst Castle |
| Builder: | Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company Dundee |
| Laid down: | 6 August 1943 |
| Launched: | 23 February 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 9 June 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk by U-482 on 1 September 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Corvette |
| Displacement: | 1,060 long tons (1,077 t) |
| Length: | 252 ft (77 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Draught: | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Installed power: | 2,750 hp (2.05 MW) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × water-tube boilers 1 × 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine Single screw |
| Speed: | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Range: | 9,500 nmi (17,600 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 112 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
• Type 272 radar • Type 144Q sonar • Type 147B sonar |
| Armament: | • 1 × 4-inch Quick Firing Mk.XIX High Angle/Low Angle combined air/surface gun • 1 × Squid anti-submarine mortar • 1 × depth charge rail, 15 depth charges • 2 × 20 mm twin anti-aircraft cannon • 6 × 20 mm single anti-aircraft cannon |
HMS Hurst Castle (K416) was a Castle-class corvette of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. She was named after Hurst Castle at the western end of the Solent in Southern England.
Built by the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company in Dundee and launched on 23 February 1944, she served as a convoy escort during the Second World War. She was sunk by the German submarine U-482 on 1 September 1944 northwest of Ireland whilst part of the escort for convoy CU-36. The submarine fired a single T-5 "Gnat" acoustic homing torpedo. 16 of the ship's company were killed, the youngest being only 16 years of age (Donald Bennett).
Only one other Castle class corvette was sunk by U-boats, HMS Denbigh Castle on 13 February 1945.
As of January 2007, there were still 5 living crew members living around the UK.
The wreck is the HMS Hurst Castle now lies in 85 metres,and was dived first by diver Barry McGill onboard MV Rosguill on the 23 October 2011. Rosguill Charters
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