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HMS Atherstone (1916)
Encyclopedia
HMS Atherstone was a Racecourse-class
minesweeper
of the Royal Navy
. The Racecourse class comprised 32 paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloop
s.
at Troon
in Scotland, she was launched on 14 April 1916. For the rest of the war she served with the Auxiliary Patrol
. Post war she was transferred to the Mine Clearance Service.
and Thames. She was renamed Queen of Kent. For the next twelve years she could be found working from Sheerness
and Southend. Regular excursions took her to Gravesend
, Margate
, Clacton and Dover
as well as cross-channel voyages to Calais
, Boulogne and Dunkirk.
for minesweeping duties once more and commissioned as HMS Queen of Kent, pennant number J74. For Operation Overlord
in June 1944 she was stationed at Peel Bank off the Isle of Wight
as the Mulberry
Accommodation & Despatch Control Ship. Subsequently she was stationed at Dungeness. After the war she was returned in 1946 to her owners to recommence excursion work around the Thames Estuary.
and transferred to Southampton
. After refitting at Thorneycroft's yard at Northam she was commissioned in the spring as the company's second Lorna Doone. For the next three years she operated excursions from Bournemouth
in the summer. She was finally withdrawn and scrapped by Dover Industries Ltd at Dover
Eastern Docks in 1952.
Racecourse class minesweeper
The Racecourse class minesweepers were 32 ships delivered to the Royal Navy during the First World War. They were built to two related designs as paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops under the Emergency War Programme. The vessels were reasonable sea-boats, but lost speed badly in a seaway when...
minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The Racecourse class comprised 32 paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
s.
Great War
Built by Ailsa SBAilsa Shipbuilding Company
-History:The company was founded in 1885 by the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa.In 1902 the Ailsa yard fitted out the polar exploration ship Scotia for the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902-04...
at Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
in Scotland, she was launched on 14 April 1916. For the rest of the war she served with the Auxiliary Patrol
Auxiliary Patrol
The Auxiliary Patrol was an antisubmarine initiative by the British to help combat German submarine operations in the early stages of World War I...
. Post war she was transferred to the Mine Clearance Service.
Between the wars
She was sold to The New Medway Steam Packet Company on 12 August 1927 and converted for excursion work on the MedwayMedway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
and Thames. She was renamed Queen of Kent. For the next twelve years she could be found working from Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
and Southend. Regular excursions took her to Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
, Margate
Margate
-Demography:As of the 2001 UK census, Margate had a population of 40,386.The ethnicity of the town was 97.1% white, 1.0% mixed race, 0.5% black, 0.8% Asian, 0.6% Chinese or other ethnicity....
, Clacton and Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
as well as cross-channel voyages to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, Boulogne and Dunkirk.
World War 2
In September 1939 she was requisitioned by the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
for minesweeping duties once more and commissioned as HMS Queen of Kent, pennant number J74. For Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
in June 1944 she was stationed at Peel Bank off the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
as the Mulberry
Mulberry harbour
A Mulberry harbour was a British type of temporary harbour developed in World War II to offload cargo on the beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy....
Accommodation & Despatch Control Ship. Subsequently she was stationed at Dungeness. After the war she was returned in 1946 to her owners to recommence excursion work around the Thames Estuary.
Post War
In January 1949 she was sold to Red FunnelRed Funnel
The Southampton Isle of Wight and South of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited, which trades as Red Funnel, is a ferry company that carries passengers and vehicles on routes between the English mainland and the Isle of Wight...
and transferred to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. After refitting at Thorneycroft's yard at Northam she was commissioned in the spring as the company's second Lorna Doone. For the next three years she operated excursions from Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in the summer. She was finally withdrawn and scrapped by Dover Industries Ltd at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
Eastern Docks in 1952.