HMS Ledsham (M2706)

HMS Ledsham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Ledsham
Builder	J. Bolson, Poole
Launched	30 June 1954
Completed	22 March 1955
Fate	Sold April 1971 and renamed Nipatina. After being moored at Deptford Creek, London since 2007 the ship caught fire in January 2017.
General characteristics
Class and type	Ham-class minesweeper
Displacement	120 tons standard 164 tons full
Length	106 ft 6 in (32.46 m)
Beam	22 ft (6.7 m)
Draught	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Propulsion	2 shaft Paxman 12YHAXM diesels, 1,100 bhp (820 kW)
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h)
Complement	2 officers, 13 ratings
Armament	1 × Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun / 20 mm Oerlikon gun
Notes	Pennant number(s): M2706 / IMS43

Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Ledsham, Cheshire or Ledsham, West Yorkshire.

HMS Ledsham is now moored in Deptford Creek, London where it is the centre of the Minesweeper Collective, an artist's cooperative. The minesweeper houses a printing studio, and is a venue for art and music events. After many years moored in Deptford Creek on the night of 5 January 2017 an explosion near the former minesweeper led to the ship catching fire whilst the London Fire Brigade deployed a dozen fire engines to the scene of the fire.^[1]