Laid down 30 November 1917 Displacement 800 long tons (813 t) Launched 11 June 1918 Draft 2.29 m | Completed 6 November 1918 Construction started 30 November 1917 Length 70 m | |
Fate Sold 1947; broken up 1950 Notes Pennant number J23 / N23 Class and type Hunt-class minesweeper, Aberdare sub-class Builder Ailsa Shipbuilding Company | ||
HMS Abingdon was a Hunt-class minesweeper of the Aberdare sub-class built for the Royal Navy during World War I.
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Design and description
The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 800 long tons (810 t) at normal load. They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 26 feet 6 inches (8.1 m). They had a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.
The ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Yarrow boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,200 indicated horsepower (1,600 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). They carried a maximum of 185 long tons (188 t) of coal which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).
The Aberdare sub-class was armed with a quick-firing (QF) four-inch (102 mm) gun forward of the bridge and a QF twelve-pounder (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun aft. Some ships were fitted with six- or three-pounder guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.
Construction and career
Initially she served with the Aegean Squadron. From 1919-1935 she was held in reserve at Malta, then joined the 2nd Minesweeping Flotilla in Malta and Hong Kong. Following a successful Warship Week National Savings campaign in February 1942 she was adopted by Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Returning to Malta at the start of World War II, Abingdon was damaged by a mine in 1941. She was bombed and severely damaged by Italian aircraft 5 April 1942 at Kalkara Creek, Malta and was beached with a broken back at Bighi. She was broken up there in 1950.