HMS ''Plover'' was a coastal minelayer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. She laid over 15,000 naval mine, mines during World War II and remained on active duty until she was sold for ship breaking, scrap in 1969.

Description

''Plover'' displaced at Displacement (ship), standard load and at deep load. The ship had an length overall, overall length of , a beam (nautical), beam of and a draft (hull), draught of . She was powered by two Marine steam engine#Triple or multiple expansion, vertical triple-expansion steam engines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . Steam for the engines was provided by two water-tube boilers. ''Plover'' carried a maximum of of fuel oil. The ship's complement was 69 officers and men.Lenton, p. 306 The ship initially mounted two machine guns, but after war broke out a single QF 3 inch 20 cwt, 12-pounder (3 in (76.2 mm)) gun was added aft as well as a Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, Oerlikon autocannon forward. ''Plover'' was initially fitted with mine recovery gear, but her mine capacity increased from 80 to 100 after it was removed when World War II began. Sometime during the war she received a List of World War II British naval radar#Type 286, Type 286 air warning radar.

Career

HMS ''Plover'' was accepted by the Royal Navy on 25 September 1937 and was commissioned on the same day. She was intended to conduct mining trials and was therefore fitted to recover as well as lay mines. During World War II she laid a total of 15,237 mines,Cocker, p. 20 including two that sank the off the Belgian coast in January 1942. Near the end of the war, the struck a mine that was part of a minefield laid by ''Plover'' on the morning of 30 April 1945, south of Lizard Point, Cornwall, Lizard Point and consisted of 100 Mk XVII/XVII(8) mines.Niestlé, A. 2010. The ‘Atlas’ Survey Zone: Deep-sea Archaeology & U-boat Loss Reassessments
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The ship was kept in service after the war and took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. She was sold to Thos. W. Ward in 1969. ''Plover'' arrived at their yard in Inverkeithing, Scotland, in April 1969 to begin scrapping.Lenton, p. 308

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plover (N26) Minelayers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Clyde 1937 ships World War II minelayers of the United Kingdom