HMS Powderham (M2720)

HMS Powderham was one of 93 ships of the Ham class of inshore minesweepers named after villages ending in -ham, in this case Powderham in Devon. She was launched on 27 November 1958 by J. Samuel White & Company Ltd, Cowes and commissioned in 1959.^[1] She was allocated pennant number M 2720.^[2][3]

History
United Kingdom
Name	1958-1964: Powderham 1964-1995: Waterwitch
Namesake	Powderham
Builder	J. Samuel White, Cowes
Launched	27 November 1958
Completed	22 May 1960
Decommissioned	March 1995
Reclassified	survey vessel, 1964
Fate	Sold 1986
General characteristics
Class & type	Ham-class minesweeper
Notes	Pennant number: M2720

Commissioned as a minesweeper in 1959, she was allocated to the Special Trials Unit, Portsmouth Dockyard and the Forth Division Royal Naval Reserve, based at Rosyth.^[2][3] In 1964 she was converted at Chatham Dockyard to an inshore survey vessel and renamed HMS Waterwitch.^[2] Operating in the South Coast Survey Unit with civilian Port Auxiliary Service crew until 1974, she then had a refit before participation in the 1977 Silver Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead.^[2] Thereafter, Waterwitch was attached to the Liverpool University Royal Navy Unit until she was paid off at Portsmouth in March 1995.^[2]

Post-naval service

After decommissioning in 1995, Waterwitch was sold to Pounds Shipowners & Shipbreakers Ltd, Portchester and laid up in Portsmouth Harbour.^[2] In 1997 she was acquired by "Project M2720", a voluntary non-profit-making group of ex-Royal Navy and Merchant Navy personnel and berthed in North Shields with a view to offering a shipboard training facility for disadvantaged young people.^[4]