HMT Elk (1902)
| History | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | HMT Elk |
| Builder: | Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley |
| Yard number: | 329 |
| Launched: | 21 August 1902 |
| Commissioned: | 1914 |
| Decommissioned: | 1918 |
| Recommissioned: | 1939 |
| Fate: | Sunk by mine, 27 November 1940 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type: | Naval trawler |
| Tonnage: | |
| Length: | 33.1 m (109 ft) |
| Beam: | 6.4 m (21 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Triple expansion steam engine, 62 hp (46 kW), single screw |
| Sail plan: | Ketch-rigged |
| Complement: | 10 |
| Armament: | 1 × 6-pounder gun |
HMT Elk was a 181-ton former fishing trawler built in 1902.[2] She served in the Royal Navy in World War II, until sunk without loss of life having hit a mine off Plymouth in November 1940.
Ship history
Elk was built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell at Beverley, Yorkshire, launched on 21 August 1902, and first operated from Grimsby. During World War I she was hired by the Admiralty and served as a minesweeper from 1914 until 1918. She was then operated commercially under various owners at Grimsby, Hakin and Plymouth. Elk was hired by the Admiralty in November 1939 to serve as a danlayer (laying buoys in channels cleared by minesweepers) and was armed with one 6-pounder gun. HMT Elk was sunk by a mine south-east of Penlee Point off Plymouth on 27 November 1940. There were no casualties.[1]
The Elk was re-discovered by divers in 1981 upright on a sandy bed at 50°17.800′N 4°10.600′W / 50.296667°N 4.176667°WCoordinates: 50°17.800′N 4°10.600′W / 50.296667°N 4.176667°W in 30 metres (98 ft) of water with a drop-off in excess of 40 metres (130 ft).
