The twenty-eight ''Anchusa''-class sloops were built under the
Emergency War Programme
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
for the
Royal Navy in
World War I as the final part of the larger "Flower class", which were also referred to as the "Cabbage class", or "Herbaceous Borders".
They were single screw fleet sweeping vessels (sloops) with triple hulls at the
bow to give extra protection against loss when working.
The ''Anchusa'' class of
corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
s or convoy sloops were completed in 1917 and 1918. They were a small class of convoy protection ships built to look like merchant ships for use as
Q-ships in World War I.
Two members of the ''Anchusa'' group, and (renamed in 1922), survived to be moored on the
River Thames for use as Drill Ships by the
RNVR
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
until 1988, a total of seventy years in RN service. was sold and preserved, and is now one of the last three surviving warships of the
Royal Navy built during the
First World War, (along with the 1914
Light cruiser in
Belfast, and the 1915
Monitor in
Portsmouth dockyard).
Ships
These ships were
Q-ships, which were disguised as normal mercantile shipping within convoys.
Six ships were ordered on 1 January 1917:
* , built by Sir W. G.
Armstrong Whitworth and Company, Walker on Tyne, launched 21 April 1917. Sunk by the German submarine off the west coast of Ireland 16 July 1918.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 5 May 1917. Sunk by the German submarine in the Atlantic 13 August 1917.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 19 May 1917. Torpedoed by submarine 18 November 1917 and stranded near
Bougie, Algeria.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 2 June 1917. Transferred to Royal Indian Marine in May 1922, and renamed ''Elphinstone''; wrecked on Nicobar Islands 29 January 1925.
* , built by Barclay Curle and Company,
Whiteinch, launched 19 May 1917. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 22 June 1917. Sold for breaking up 1 December 1921.
Two more ships were ordered on 15 January 1917:
* , built by William Simons and Company, Renfrew, launched 1 November 1917. Sold for breaking up 6 September 1922.
* , built by
Workman, Clark and Company
Workman, Clark and Company was a shipbuilding company based in Belfast.
History
The business was established by Frank Workman and George Clark in Belfast in 1879 and incorporated Workman, Clark and Company Limited in 1880. By 1895 it was the UK ...
, Belfast, launched 29 September 1917. Sold to Egypt 31 March 1920 and renamed ''Sollum''.
Twenty more ships were ordered on 21 February 1917:
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 8 September 1917. Sunk by the German submarine in the St. George's Channel 16 December 1917.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 4 October 1917. Sold for breaking up 1 February 1923.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 27 October 1917. Sold for breaking up 3 April 1938.
* , built by Armstrong Whitworth, launched 10 November 1917. Target towing vessel in May 1920. Transferred to
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a cit ...
1938, and stationed on the
Embankment
Embankment may refer to:
Geology and geography
* A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea
* Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railwa ...
in London; broken up 1995.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 15 September 1917. Sold for breaking up 6 September 1922.
* , built by Barclay Carle, launched 19 October 1917. Sunk by the German submarine off Cape Spartel 25 April 1918.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 1 December 1917. Sold to Mexican State Line 3 June 1921, became mercantile ''Guerrero''.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 27 December 1917. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 15 March 1918. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
* , built by Barclay Curle, launched 10 May 1918. Sold for breaking up in February 1939.
* , built by Blyth Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company,
Blyth, launched 31 October 1917. Sold February 1920 and resold 2 June 1921, became mercantile ''Sinaloa'' (Clan Line).
* , built by Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Company, launched 26 December 1917. Intended to become RNVR drill ship ''President'', but was wrecked in January 1921 off Flintstone Head while en route to fit out at
Haulbowline.
* , built by Greenock & Grangemouth, launched 17 November 1917. Sold 25 January 1921, became mercantile ''Chiapas'' (Clan Line).
* , built by William Hamilton & Company, Port Glasgow, launched 18 March 1918. Sold 25 January 1921, became mercantile ''Oaxaca'' (Clan Line).
* , built by Irvine's Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, West Hartlepool. Sunk by the German submarine in the North Sea 5 May 1918.
* , built by Lobnitz and Company, Renfrew, launched 29 January 1918. Became RNVR drill ship 1921, and stationed on the Embankment in London; renamed in July 1922, in private hands since 1988.
* , built by William Simons and Company, Renfrew, launched 12 March 1918. Sold for breaking up 29 December 1921.
* , built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on Tyne, launched 5 October 1917. Sold for breaking up 7 October 1927.
* , built by Swan Hunter, launched 16 November 1917. Sold for breaking up 15 January 1923.
* , built by Workman, Clark & Company, Belfast, launched 12 April 1918. Sold for breaking up 7 October 1927.
See also
*
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anchusa class sloop
Sloop classes