Cruise 13 knots (24 km/h) on one engine. Max 16 knots (30 km/h) on both
Range
2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement
32
Armament
1 x Bofors 40 mm gun
HMS Bronington was a Ton-classminesweeper of the Royal Navy, launched on 19 March 1953. This mahogany-hulled minesweeper was one of the last of the "wooden walls" (wooden-hulled naval vessels).
Reverting to its original name in 1958, the vessel was converted into a minehunter at Rosyth Dockyard between 1963 and 1965, and was commissioned to, initially the 5th Minesweeper Squadron, and the 1st Mine Countermeasures Squadron on 5 January 1967.[3]
King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) commanded the vessel between 9 February and 15 December 1976.[4] Subsequently, under the command of his successor, Lieutenant A. B. Gough R. N., it ran aground in the River Avon while departing from Bristol.[5]
During the late 80s, the vessel saw service in the Mediterranean as part of 2nd Mine Counter Measures Squadron, with NATO as part of the Standing Naval Force Channel and also as a fishery protection vessel.
On 17 March 2016, Bronington sank at her moorings.[6][7][8]
Preservation
December 2021 saw the formation of the 'HMS Bronington Preservation Trust', an organisation dedicated to raising the vessel and preserving it.[9]
As of 2023, the ship is still partially submerged. The preservation trust commissioned a dive survey in June 2022 to establish the state of the vessel.[10] The survey revealed the vessel to be in good condition, with only two minor holes in the hull. Subject to fund raising, the trust hopes to move the vessel to a dry dock at Cammell Laird where it will be restored, either for sailing or for use as a static museum exhibit.[11] In June 2023, the National Museum of the Royal Navy said that there are potential locations in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which could be considered if the restoration effort is successful.[12]
References
^ abColledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: A Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy From the 15th Century to the Present. London: Chatham. p. 56. ISBN1612000274.
^"About the ship". HMS Bronington. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
^Brown, Paul (2010). Historic Ships: The Survivors. Stroud: Amberley. ISBN978-1-84868-994-7.