HMS ''Owen'' was a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

built for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during World War 2.

Design and description

''Owen'' was converted into a survey vessel while still under construction. She displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ship had an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of .Chesneau, p. 61 She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two

Admiralty three-drum boiler Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power Steamship, ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although ...

s. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of . ''Owen'' carried a maximum of of

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel), marine f ...

that gave her a range of at . The ship's complement was 133 officers and ratings.Lenton, p. 293 The survey ships were armed only with four 3-pounder saluting guns.

Construction and career

She was named for the explorer and naval officer William Fitzwilliam Owen. She was originally laid down as the vessel ''Loch Muick'', and re-ordered as ''Thurso Bay'' while building. She was completed as ''Owen'', modified for use as a survey vessel for dealing with the large numbers of uncharted wrecks and mines around the

British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

as a result of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. For this purpose she was fitted for minesweeping.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen Bay-class frigates 1945 ships