HMS Hurst Castle (K416)
Encyclopedia

HMS Hurst Castle (K416) was a Castle-class
Castle class corvette
The Castle-class corvettes were an updated version of the much more numerous Flower-class corvettes of the Royal Navy, and started appearing during late 1943...

 corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...

 of the United Kingdom's 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...

. She was named after Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle
Hurst Castle on the south coast of England is one of Henry VIII's Device Forts, built at the end of a long shingle barrier beach at the west end of the Solent to guard the approaches to Southampton. Hurst Castle was sited at the narrow entrance to the Solent where the ebb and flow of the tides...

 at the western end of the Solent
Solent
The Solent is a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of England.The Solent is a major shipping route for passengers, freight and military vessels. It is an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting, hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually...

 in Southern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Built by the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company
Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company
The Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company based in Dundee on the east coast of Scotland.-History:...

 in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...

 and launched on 23 February 1944, she served as a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...

 escort during the Second World War. She was sunk by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 U-482
German submarine U-482
German submarine U-482 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 13 February 1942 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel and went into service on 1 December 1943 under the command of Hartmut von Matuschka....

 on 1 September 1944 northwest of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 whilst part of the escort for convoy CU-36. The submarine fired a single T-5 "Gnat" acoustic homing torpedo
G7es torpedo
The G7es or Zaunkönig T-5 was a torpedo employed by German U-boats during World War II. It was known as the GNAT to the British.- Description :...

. 16 of the ship's company were killed, the youngest being only 16 years of age (Donald Bennett).

Only one other Castle class corvette was sunk by U-boats, HMS Denbigh Castle
HMS Denbigh Castle (K696)
HMS Denbigh Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy.She was built by J. Lewis & Sons Ltd in Aberdeen, Scotland, launched on 5 August 1944, and commissioned on 30 December 1944....

on 13 February 1945.

As of January 2007, there were still 5 living crew members living around the UK.
The wreck is the HMS Hurst Castle now lies in 85 metres,and was dived first by diver Barry McGill onboard MV Rosguill on the 23 October 2011.
Rosguill Charters
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