HMS Shrewsbury Castle was one of 44 Castle-class corvette built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was named after Shrewsbury Castle in Shrewsbury. Completed in 1944, she was loaned to the Royal Norwegian Navy as a convoy escort during the war, renamed HNoMS Tunsberg Castle and was sunk by a mine in December 1944.
 HMS Shrewsbury Castle in 1943.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Shrewsbury Castle |
| Namesake | Shrewsbury Castle |
| Ordered | 6 February 1943 |
| Builder | Swan Hunter, Wallsend |
| Laid down | 5 May 1943 |
| Launched | 16 August 1944 |
| Identification | Pennant number: K374 |
| Fate | Loaned to Royal Norwegian Navy, 1944 |
| History | |
 Norway | |
| Name | Tunsberg Castle |
| Namesake | Tunsberg Castle |
| Builder | Swan Hunter, Wallsend |
| Commissioned | 17 April 1944 |
| Fate | Sunk by mine, 12 December 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Castle-class corvette |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 252 ft (76.8 m) |
| Beam | 33 ft (10.1 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 99 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
Design and description
editThe Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding Flower class, enlarged to improve seakeeping and to accommodate modern weapons. The ships displaced 1,010 long tons (1,030 t) at standard load and 1,510 long tons (1,530 t) at deep load. They had an overall length of 252 feet (76.8 m), a beam of 36 feet 9 inches (11.2 m) and a deep draught of 14 feet (4.3 m). They were powered by a pair of triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines developed a total of 2,880 indicated horsepower (2,150 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The Castles carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). The ships' complement was 99 officers and ratings.[1]
The Castle-class ships were equipped with a single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk XVI gun forward, but their primary weapon was their single three-barrel Squid anti-submarine mortar. This was backed up by one depth charge rail and two throwers for 15 depth charges. The ships were fitted with two twin and a pair of single mounts for 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon light AA guns.[2] Provision was made for a further four single mounts if needed. They were equipped with Type 145Q and Type 147B ASDIC sets to detect submarines by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water. A Type 277 search radar and a HF/DF radio direction finder rounded out the Castles' sensor suite.[3]
Construction and career
editShrewsbury Castle was laid down by Swan Hunter at their shipyard at Wallsend, on 5 May 1943 and launched on 16 August 1944. She was completed in April and served as a convoy escort.
Shrewsbury Castle was loaned to the Royal Norwegian Navy and renamed HNoMS Tunsberg Castle, her namesake was from Tunsberg Castle on 17 April 1944. On 12 December 1944, she hit a mine and sank with 5 crew members on board.[4]
Citations
edit- ^ Lenton, p. 297
- ^ Chesneau, p. 63; Lenton, p. 297
- ^ Goodwin, p. 3
- ^ "HNoMS Tunsberg Castle (K 374) of the Royal Norwegian Navy - Norwegian Corvette of the Castle class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
References
edit- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Goodwin, Norman (2007). Castle Class Corvettes: An Account of the Service of the Ships and of Their Ships' Companies. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1-904459-27-9.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.