HMS Barnstaple

HMS Barnstaple was a Hunt-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy during World War I.

Lady Cynthia circa 1938
History
United Kingdom
Builder	Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company
Launched	20 March 1919
Fate	Sold 1 December 1921; renamed Lady Cynthia; broken up 1957
General characteristics
Class & type	Hunt class minesweeper (1916), Aberdare sub-class
Displacement	800 long tons (813 t)
Length	213 ft (64.9 m) o/a
Beam	28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.3 m)
Installed power	2 × Yarrow boilers 2,200 ihp (1,600 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 triple-expansion steam engines
Speed	16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range	1,500 nmi (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	74
Armament	1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun 1 × 12 pdr (76 mm (3 in)) anti-aircraft gun

Design and description

The Aberdare sub-class were enlarged versions of the original Hunt-class ships with a more powerful armament. The ships displaced 750 long tons (760 t) at normal load^[1] and 930 long tons (940 t) at full load.^[2] They measured 231 feet (70.4 m) long overall with a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 7 feet 6 inches (2.3 m). The ships' complement consisted of 74 officers and ratings.^[1]

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^[1] which gave them a range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).^[3]

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 (3-inch (76.2 mm)) anti-aircraft gun aft.^[1] Some ships were fitted with QF six-pounder (2.2-inch (57 mm)) Hotchkiss guns or QF three-pounder (1.5-inch (37 mm)) Hotchkiss guns in lieu of the twelve-pounder.^[3]

Construction and career

Barnstaple, the first ship of her name in the Royal Navy, was built by the Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company at their shipyard in Ardrossan. The ship was launched on 20 March 1919. She was sold on 1 December 1921. She served as Lady Cynthia after major modifications as a coastal steamship with the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia, Canada from 1925 to 1957.^[4]

See also

• Barnstaple