HMS Halsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers of the Royal Navy. Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Halsham in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

History
United Kingdom
NameHalsham
NamesakeHalsham
BuilderJones Buckie Slip & Shipyard
Launched22 September 1953
Completed9 July 1954
FateSold 1981
General characteristics
Class and typeHam-class minesweeper
Displacement
  • 120 long tons (122 t) standard
  • 164 long tons (167 t) full load
Length
  • 100 ft (30 m) p/p
  • 106 ft 6 in (32.46 m) o/a
Beam21 ft 4 in (6.50 m)
Draught5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft Paxman 12YHAXM diesels
  • 1,100 bhp (820 kW)
Speed14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement2 officers, 13 ratings
Armament1 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun or Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
NotesPennant number(s): M2633 / IMS35

She was transferred from the Royal Navy to Royal Air Force duties in 1966, renamed No.5002 (later No.5012) and converted to a research and trials vessel for Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. By 1972, she was the only remaining RAF-operated marine asset, and to provide continued efficient management she was transferred to the Royal Corps of Transport's civilian fleet and renamed Richard George Masters (later shortened to R G Masters).[1] Private Masters was the sole recipient of the Victoria Cross in the Royal Army Service Corps during the First World War.[2]

In 1979 she was withdrawn from military service, and then sold to Pounds Shipowners & Shipbreakers at Portsmouth, who resold her in 1981 to Greek shipowners Petrakis Line of Corfu. She was renamed Sotirakis and converted to a tourist excursion boat.[3]

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Habesch, David (2001). The Army's Navy : British Military Vessels and their History since Henry VIII. London: Chatham Publishing. p. 166. ISBN 1-86176-157-0.
  2. ^ "Ship Named after War Hero". Liverpool Echo. No. 28912. 19 December 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Halsham". Scottish Built Ships. Caledonian Maritime Research Trust. Archived from the original on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 1 April 2024.

References

edit
  • Blackman, R.V.B. ed. Jane's Fighting Ships (1953)