HMT ''Elk'' was a 181-ton former
fishing trawler
A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets th ...
built in 1902.
She served in the Royal Navy in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, until sunk without loss of life having hit a
mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging
*Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine
Grammar
*Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun
...
off
Plymouth in November 1940.
Ship history
''Elk'' was built by
Cook, Welton & Gemmell
Cook, Welton & Gemmell was a shipbuilding, shipbuilder based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull and Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. England. They built trawlers and other small ships.
History
Founding and move to Beverley
The firm was founded ...
at
Beverley
Beverley is a market and minster town and a civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre and north-west of City of Hull.
The town is known fo ...
, Yorkshire, launched on 21 August 1902, and first operated from
Grimsby
Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...
. During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
she was hired by the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
and served as a
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
from 1914 until 1918. She was then operated commercially under various owners at Grimsby,
Hakin
Hakin is a coastal village in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It belongs to the parish of Hubberston in the historical hundred of Roose. It is located directly to the west of the larger town of Milford Haven, and is a district of the community of Milford ...
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, Cornwall on 27 November 1940. There were no casualties.
The ''Elk'' was re-discovered by divers in 1981 upright on a sandy bed at in of water with a drop-off in excess of .
See also
*
References
External links
wrecksite.eu : Trawler ''Elk'' 1902-1940
1902 ships
Naval trawlers of the United Kingdom
World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel
Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in November 1940
Ships sunk by mines
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