HMS ''Rackham'' was one of 93 ships of the of inshore

minesweepers 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 ...

. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in ''-ham''. The minesweeper was named after

Rackham Rackham may refer to: People *Arthur Rackham (1867–1939), English illustrator and painter * Bernard Rackham (1876–1964), English museum curator and writer on ceramics and stained glass * Cameron Rackham (born 1975), New Zealand former profe ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

References

*Blackman, R.V.B. ed. ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' (1953) Ham-class minesweepers Royal Navy ship names 1956 ships Ships built on the Isle of Wight {{UK-minesweeper-stub