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ROYAL NAVY SOUTH ATLANTIC COMMAND - ROYAL NAVY A B 36 SHIPS

26)BELLWORT (CORVETTE)




HMS Bellwort seen entering Birkenhead 11 May 1944. Photo Imperial War Museum.


Ordered: 12 December 1939


Yard number:  J1160


Laid down:  17 September 1940


Launched:   11 August 1941


Commissioned:     20 November 1941


Decommissioned:  1947


Identification:  Pennant number: K114


Fate:  Sold to the Irish Naval Service, 1946


Class and type:  Flower-class corvette


Displacement: 925 long tons


Length:        205 ft (62 m)


Beam:  33 ft (10 m)


Draught: 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)


Propulsion: 

single shaft

2 × fire tube Scotch boilers

1 × 4-cycle triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine

2,750 ihp (2,050 kW)


Speed:  16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)


Armament: 

1 × BL 4 inch Mk IX naval gun

2 × .50 cal machine gun (twin)

2 × Lewis .303 cal machine gun (twin)

2 × Mk.II depth charge throwers

2 × Depth charge rails with 40 depth charges

Originally fitted with minesweeping gear, later removed


Bellwort was ordered in July 1939 as part of the Royal Navy’s 1939 War Emergency building programme. She was laid down by George Brown & Co of Greenock on 17 September 1940, launched 11 August 1941 and completed 20 November the same year. After working up and trials she was assigned anti-submarine warfare and convoy escort duties on the West Africa station, based at Freetown.


From March 1942 onwards Bellwort served with close escort groups on South Atlantic convoys, stationed at Freetown. In three years Bellwort sailed with 42 trade convoys (outbound and homebound), contributing to the safe and timely arrival of more than 800 merchant ships. She was involved in one major convoy battle, around convoy TS 37 in April 1943, which saw the loss of seven ships in one night. With the end of hostilities Bellwort was decommissioned and in 1946 she was sold.


By Wikipedia.org


 

 

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