The Hill class of
Admiralty trawlers was a small class of
trawlers built for the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
during the
Second World War
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
The vessels were intended for use as
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 ...
s and for
anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typi ...
, and the design was based on a commercial type, the 1937 ''Barnett'' by
Cook Welton and Gemmell of
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 for ...
.
[Elliott p286]
The purpose of the order was to make use of specialist mercantile shipyards to provide vessels for war use by adapting commercial designs to
Admiralty specifications.
In 1940 the Royal Navy ordered eight such vessels from Cook Welton and Gemmell. All saw active service, and two were lost in action.
Ships
* ''Birdlip'' (T218), completed 11 December 1941: torpedoed, W Africa, 13 June 1944
*
'' Bredon'' (T223), completed 2 April 1942: torpedoed, N Atlantic, 8 February 1943
* ''Butser'' (T219), completed 8 January 1942
* ''Duncton'' (T220), completed 27 January 1942
* ''Dunkery'' (T224), completed 23 April 1942
* ''Inkpen'' (T225), completed 23 May 1942
* ''Portsdown'' (T221), completed 19 February 1942
* ''Yestor'' (T222), completed 12 March 1942
See also
*
Trawlers of the Royal Navy
Naval trawlers were purpose-built or requisitioned and operated by the Royal Navy (RN), mainly during World Wars I and II. Vessels built to Admiralty specifications for RN use were known as Admiralty trawlers. All trawlers operated by the RN, ...
Notes
References
*
* {{cite book , last=Elliott , first=Peter , title=Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey , year=1977 , publisher=Macdonald and Jane's, location=London , isbn=0-356-08401-9
External links
Hill class trawlers at uboat.net
Naval trawlers of the United Kingdom
Anti-submarine trawlers of the Royal Navy