HMS ''Owen'' was a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

built for the Royal Navy during World War 2.

Design and description

''Owen'' was converted into a survey vessel while still under construction. She displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ship had an overall length of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a draught of .Chesneau, p. 61 She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two

Admiralty three-drum boiler Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although bulkier, an ...

s. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of . ''Owen'' carried a maximum of of

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...

that gave her a range of at . The ship's complement was 133 officers and ratings.Lenton, p. 293 The survey ships were armed only with four 3-pounder saluting guns.

Construction and career

She was named for the explorer and naval officer

William Fitzwilliam Owen Vice Admiral William Fitzwilliam Owen (17 September 1774 – 3 November 1857), was a Kingdom of Great Britain, British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his exploration of the west and east African coasts, discovery of the Sea ...

. She was originally laid down as the vessel ''Loch Muick'', and re-ordered as ''Thurso Bay'' while building. She was completed as ''Owen'', modified for use as a survey vessel for dealing with the large numbers of uncharted

wrecks ''Wrecks'' is a one-man play by Neil LaBute, that was commissioned and produced by the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, Ireland. The play was a part of the city's Capital of Culture programme in 2005.LaBute, Neil''Wrecks'Wrecks: And Other Plays ...

and mines around the British Isles as a result of World War II. For this purpose she was fitted for minesweeping.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen Bay-class frigates 1945 ships