The ''Echo'' class was a

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...

of inshore

survey vessel A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purp ...

s built for the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

in 1958–1959. The class was designed to operate in close waters such as harbour approaches,

shipping lane A sea lane, sea road or shipping lane is a regularly used navigable route for large water vessels (ships) on wide waterways such as oceans and large lakes, and is preferably safe, direct and economic. During the Age of Sail, they were determined b ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

s and

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environme ...

. Together, the ships of this class formed the Royal Navy's Inshore Survey Squadron.

Description

The class consisted of three ships, and were of composite (wood on metal frames) construction. They were based on the same basic hull as the and the . They had a large

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

with an open

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

on top. The engines were up-rated to . They were crewed by 5 officers and 34 ratings, with accommodation on board for 4 officers and 18 rates.

Service history

In the late 1960s, two Ham-class minesweepers, and were rebuilt as inshore survey vessels very similar to the ''Echo''s, although they could be identified by having an enclosed wheelhouse and a

tripod mast The tripod mast is a type of mast used on warships from the Edwardian era onwards, replacing the pole mast. Tripod masts are distinctive using two large (usually cylindrical) support columns spread out at angles to brace another (usually vertical ...

. They were renamed HMS ''Waterwitch'' and , respectively. All ships were sold out of service in 1985. The Marine Society acquired two of the three vessels circa 1985 and converted them to training vessels. They were modified, from plans loaned by the Port of London Authority who had already purchased HMS ''Polsham'' in 1967 and converted her to a survey vessel, ''Maplin''. The two vessels were renamed, ''Jonas Hanway'' and ''Earl of Romney'', and were initially based and operated in conjunction with the Gravesend Sea School on the Thames at Denton. The third vessel is thought to have been included within the disposal package by the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

and acted as a spare parts source for the two operational vessels. ''Jonas Hanway'' was sold to a private owner in 1998 and is moored near

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north ...

Ships

* , built by

J Samuel White J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White (1838–1915). It came to prominence during the Victorian era. During the 20th century it built destroyers and other naval craft for both the ...

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes ...

, commissioned 12 September 1958, sold 1985 (scrapped for spares) * , built by WM Blackmore & Sons,

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ' ...

, commissioned 1959, sold 1985 (renamed ''Earl of Romney'') * , built by William Weatherhead & Sons,

Cockenzie Cockenzie and Port Seton ( sco, Cockennie ; gd, Cùil Choinnich, meaning "cove of Kenneth") is a unified town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is on the coast of the Firth of Forth, four miles east of Musselburgh. The burgh of Cockenzie was creat ...

, commissioned 1959, sold 1985 (renamed ''Jonas Hanway'')

References

* ''Warships of the Royal Navy'', Captain John. E. Moore RN, Jane's Publishing, 1979 {{Echo class survey vessel Auxiliary research ship classes Ship classes of the Royal Navy

Description

Service history

Ships

See also

References