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Arabis-class sloop

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The Arabis class was the third, and largest,[1] of the five sub-classes of minesweeping sloops completed under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in World War I. They were part of the larger "Flower class" shipbuilding project, which were also referred to as the "Cabbage class", or "Herbaceous Borders". The ships were also used outside their minesweeping duties as patrol vessels, tugs, and personnel and cargo transports.[2]

HMS Wistaria
Class overview
Operators
Preceded byAzalea class
Succeeded byAubrietia class
Built1915
In commission1915–1941
Completed44
Lost7
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement1,250 tons
Length
  • 255 ft 3 in (77.80 m) p/p
  • 267 ft 9 in (81.61 m) o/a
Beam33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
Draught11 ft 9 in (3.58 m)
Propulsion
  • 1 × 4-cylinder triple expansion engine
  • 2 × cylindrical boilers
  • 1 screw
Speed17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) with max. 260 tons of coal
Complement79
ArmamentTypically 2 × 4 or 4.7 in (120 mm) guns and 2 × 3-pounder (47 mm) AA with some lesser variants

The design for the Arabis class was made at the end of 1914.[2] All 36 British vessels were ordered in July 1915, and were built in three batches, averaging 12 vessels. A further 8 vessels were later built in British shipyards for the French Navy. The design was highly appealing, as most shipyards were capable of building them, and construction could be completed in five months.

Like the preceding Acacia and Azalea-class sloops, these were single-screw Fleet Sweeping Vessels (Sloops) with triple hulls at the bows to give extra protection against loss when working. The strength of the hull was demonstrated when Valerian fought the 1926 Havana–Bermuda hurricane for five hours on 22 October, 1926, before being driven over by a squall and foundering off Bermuda. In his report to the Court Martial held at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, her Captain, Commander W. A. Usher, wrote"

At Noon, the centre of the storm was reached and the clearing came. The seas were now mountainous and seemed to approach the ship from all sides, but more particularly from the South and East. As the ship balanced on the crest, or fell into the trough, it seemed as if she must break her back and it speaks very well of her construction that she withstood these stresses so well. So far no damage had been done to the hull or fittings.

Ships

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Artist's impression of the loss of HMS Valerian

Six vessels were ordered in January 1916, and another two in September 1916, all to this design from British shipyards for the French Navy, and all were delivered to France in 1916 or (the last pair) 1917:

  • Aldébaran, built by Barclay Curle, launched 19 May 1916,[9] and commissioned 3 July 1916. Served in Mediterranean in First World War and overseas post war. Stricken 13 October 1934 at Saigon and sold for scrap 15 January 1935.[10]
  • Algol, built by Barclay Curle, launched 17 June 1916,[9] and commissioned 1 August 1916. Served in Mediterranean in First World War, and operated off Syria in 1921 and in the Far East. Scrapped Saigon 1935.[11]
  • Altair, built by Hamilton, laid down 28 February 1916, launched 6 July 1916 and commissioned 14 September 1916. Served in Mediterranean in First World War, and in Black Sea 1919. Deployed in Far East from 1920, and served as Survey ship off French Indo-China from 193. Sold for Scrap at Saigon 1940.[12]
  • Antares, built by Hamilton, laid down 8 March 1916, launched 4 September 1916 and commissioned 30 October 1916. Served in Mediterranean in First World War, and overseas post war. Converted to Survey ship at Saigon 1935 but sold for scrap 1936.[13]
  • Bellatrix, built by Henderson, launched 29 May 1916. Deleted 1933.
  • Rigel, built by Henderson, launched 6 July 1916. Sunk by German submarine SM U-35 off Algiers 2 October 1916.
  • Cassiopée, built by Barclay Curle, launched 10 February 1917. Deleted 1933.
  • Regulus, built by Barclay Curle, launched 19 March 1917. Deleted 1935.

Footnotes

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arabis class sloop.
  1. ^ "Steel Sloops in the RN". www.leander-project.homecall.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Arabis class sloop (br.)". www.wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  3. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships. London: Jane's Publishing Co. 1939.
  4. ^ "Buttercup". Miramar Ship Index. R B Haworth, Wellington NZ. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  5. ^ Ghazal, Rym (11 December 2010). "Fujairah Fort opens to public to reveal the pivotal role it played in nation's past". The National.
  6. ^ Matthew S Hopper. Imperialism and the Dilemma of Slavery in Eastern Arabia and the Gulf, 1873 - 1939. Itinerario: International Journal on the History of European Expansion and Global Interaction 30, no. 3 (2006): 76-94.
  7. ^ "Arabis Class". www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  8. ^ "30 Year Old British Sloop Still Going Strong. 31 February 1945, Greenock. HMS Rosemary is the Only Coal Burning Ship of Her Type Still in Active Service".
  9. ^ a b Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 213.
  10. ^ Roche 2005, p. 13/46.
  11. ^ Roche 2005, p. 15/46.
  12. ^ Roche 2005, p. 18/46.
  13. ^ Roche 2005, p. 27/46.

References

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