HMS Hurst Castle (K416)

HMS Hurst Castle underway in the Firth of Tay on completion.
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 - German Navy Acoustic Torpedo. Sixteen of the ship's company were killed, the youngest, Donald Bennett, being only sixteen.

Only one other Castle-class corvette was sunk by U-boats, HMS Denbigh Castle on 13 February 1945.

In January 2007 there were still five crew members living around the UK.

The wreck of HMS Hurst Castle was discovered at a depth of 85 metres, and on 23 October 2011 Barry McGill became the first person to dive the wreck, operating from MV Rosguill. Rosguill Charters

Coordinates: 55°27′N 8°12′W / 55.450°N 8.200°W