HMS Jewel (J390)

HMS Jewel
History
United Kingdom
Name	Jewel
Namesake	Jewel
Ordered	30 April 1942
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Laid down	27 November 1943
Launched	20 July 1944
Commissioned	9 December 1944
Decommissioned	September 1946
Recommissioned	28 December 1955
Decommissioned	1961
Identification	Pennant number: J390
Fate	Scrapped, 1966
General characteristics
Class and type	Algerine-class minesweeper
Displacement	1,030 long tons (1,047 t) (standard) 1,325 long tons (1,346 t) (deep)
Length	225 ft (69 m) o/a
Beam	35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draught	12.25 ft 6 in (3.89 m)
Installed power	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers 2,400 ihp (1,800 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range	5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	85
Armament	1 × QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun 4 × twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

HMS Jewel (J390) was a turbine engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War.

Design and description[]

The reciprocating group displaced 1,010–1,030 long tons (1,030–1,050 t) at standard load and 1,305–1,325 long tons (1,326–1,346 t) at deep load The ships measured 225 feet (68.6 m) long overall with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). They had a draught of 12 feet 3 inches (3.7 m). The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.^[1]

The reciprocating ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). They carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[1]

The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun^[2] and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges.^[1]

Construction and career[]

The ship was ordered on 30 April 1942 at the Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Ireland. She was laid down on 27 November 1943 and launched on 20 July 1944. The ship was commissioned on 9 December 1944.^[3]

On 21 February 1945, she was deployed deployed to Scapa Flow during Operation Shred. Two days later, she swept the Norwegian waters during Operation Groundsheet. In October, she was stationed in Singapore as part of the 10th Flotilla.

In September 1946, the ship was sent back to the UK to be decommissioned on arrival. The ship was put into the reserve fleet and laid up at Harwich until the ship was transferred to be used as a RNVR Drill Ship at Dundee in January 1948.

On 28 December 1955, she was recommissioned into the Dartmouth Training Squadron in which she trained Cadets from the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth until 1961.

In 1966, she was put on the disposal list and sold to BISCO for scrap at Inverkeithing, Scotland in which she arrived on 7 April 1967.

References[]

Bibliography[]

• 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.
• Peter Elliott (1977) Allied Escort Ships of World War II. MacDonald & Janes, ISBN 0 356 08401 9
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.

External links[]

• [1]