 HMSPelorus at anchor, 1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Pelorus |
| Namesake | Pelorus Jack |
| Ordered | 1 January 1942 |
| Builder | Lobnitz,Renfrew, Scotland |
| Laid down | 8 October 1942 |
| Launched | 18 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 7 October 1943 |
| Decommissioned | May 1946 |
| Identification | Pennant number: J291 |
| Fate | Sold to theSouth African Navy, 1947 |
 South Africa | |
| Namesake | Pietermaritzburg |
| Acquired | Purchased from theRoyal Navy, 1947 |
| Renamed | Pietermaritzburg, 21 January 1948 |
| Stricken | 1991 |
| Nickname(s) | PMB |
| Fate | Scuttled, 12 November 1994 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Algerine-classminesweeper |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 225 ft (68.6 m)o/a |
| Beam | 35 ft 6 in (10.8 m) |
| Draught | 12 ft 3 in (3.7 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) |
| Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 85 |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament | |
HMSPelorus (pennant number: J291) was anAlgerine-classminesweeper built for the Royal Navy (RN) duringWorld War II. Upon completion, the ship became theflotilla leader of the 7th Minesweeper Flotilla, clearing mines off the east coast of England. In June 1944, the flotilla was assigned to sweep one of the beaches during theNormandy landings until she struck amine the following month. After her repairs were completed,Pelorus was reassigned to theEnglish Channel and the 6th Minesweeping Flotilla. The flotilla was transferred to theIndian Ocean in 1945 and spent some time escorting convoys. They participated inOperation Collie, a bombardment of Japanese positions in theNicobar Islands, in July and then swept theStrait of Malacca and the approaches toSingapore in August.
After the war, she was sold to theSouth African Navy and renamedHMSASPietermaritzburg. The ship was later converted into amidshipmans'training ship during the early 1960s. She served as abarracks ship from 1968 to 1991 whenPietermaritzburg was listed for disposal. The ship wasscuttled as anartificial reef off theSouth African coast in 1994.
Pelorus displaced 1,030 long tons (1,047 t) atstandard load and 1,325 long tons (1,346 t) atdeep load. The ship had anoverall length of 225 feet (68.6 m), abeam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m) and a deepdraught of 12 feet 3 inches (3.7 m). She was powered by a pair ofvertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by twoAdmiralty three-drum boilers. The engines developed a total of 2,400indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) which gave a maximum speed of 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The ship carried enoughfuel oil that she had a range of 5,000nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The ship was armed with a single4-inch (102 mm) Mk Vdual-purpose gun[1] and four single mounts forOerlikon 20 mm (0.8 in) lightanti-aircraft (AA) guns.[2] Foranti-submarine work,Pelorus was fitted with twodepth charge rails, and four depth charge throwers. The ship was equipped with aType 271 surface-searchradar and aType 291 air-search radar. Her crew numbered 85 officers andratings.[1]
During the war the two single Oerlikon mounts on thebridge wings were replaced by twin power-driven mounts and the two remaining single mounts aft were superseded by two single40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA guns before the ship sailed for theFar East.[2] In preparation for her reclassification as a training ship,Pietermaritzburg had her sweeping gear removed and was rearmed with her main armament replaced by a twin-gun turret fitted with more powerful4-inch Mk XVI guns in 1961–62. The Bofors guns were moved to the roof of the enlarged aft superstructure.[3] Her complement now consisted of 8 officers, 73 ratings, 10midshipmen and 50 trainees.[4] She was refitted in 1971.[5]
Pelorus was named afterPelorus Jack, aRisso's dolphin that often escorted ships throughFrench Pass inNew Zealand.[6] The ship was ordered on 1 January 1942 from Lobnitz ofRenfrew, Scotland andlaid down on 8 October. She waslaunched on 18 June 1943 and completed two months later on 7 October.[7] The ship was assigned to the newly formed 7th Minesweeping Flotilla upon completion and served as the flotilla leader. The flotilla was tasked with clearing mines off the east coast of England until June 1944 when they were assigned to sweep theminefields protectingJuno Beach during the Normandy landings.Pelorus led the flotilla on 6 June and was thus the leading ship of the entire invasion fleet.[6] While sweeping the approaches toCherbourg, she struck a mine that damaged theport engine and propeller. The ship was under repair for three months and was transferred to the 6th Minesweeping Flotilla atPlymouth when they were completed.[6]
The flotilla sailed for the Far East on 8 April 1945 and was assigned convoy escort duties on arrival. On 2 July, they swept the approaches to the Nicobar Islands during Operation Collie and destroyed 167 mines. As the Pacific War was ending on 15 August, they swept the Strait of Malacca and the approaches to Singapore. Together with thelight cruiserCleopatra,Pelorus was one of the first British ships to re-enter Singapore harbour. She returned home in May 1946 and waspaid off.[6]
In 1947 the ship was sold to the South African Navy, together with hersister ship,Rosamund, and departed England on 22 November after a refresher course at the minesweeping school atHMSLochinvar,Port Edgar, Scotland. The sisters arrived atCape Town on 24 December, making stops atGibraltar,Freetown andWalvis Bay en route. She was rechristened by the mayor of the city, A. E. Hirst, on 21 January 1948. The navy had originally intended to rename the shipMaritzburg, but decided to use the city's full name after protests. In November of that year, the sisters exercised with the British 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron. Later that month, together with thefrigateNatal, they visited ports inPortuguese Mozambique, returning toDurban on 12 December. While serving as a midshipmans' training ship,Pietermaritzburg became the largest South African warship to visitKnysna in September 1953. The ship and her sister were placed in reserve for a time in the late 1950s.[8]
Pietermaritzburg re-commissioned as a dedicated training ship on 30 August 1962.[5] While participating the training exerciseCapex 63 with the Royal Navy, the ship accidentally rammed the British frigateLeopard. Although herbow was crushed by the collision, both ships were able to steam back toSimon's Town, South Africa for repairs. The subsequent inquiry found officers from both ships negligent. She was placed back in reserve in July 1964 and became an accommodation ship at Simon's Town for the navy's minesweeping flotilla on 17 June 1968.Pietermaritzburg was listed for disposal in 1991[9] and the navy made the decision to dispose of her as an artificial reef.[10]
Pietermaritzburg was scuttled on 12 November 1994 to make an artificial reef atMiller's Point near Simon's Town. The wreck settled upright on the sand at a maximum depth of 22 metres (72 ft). It has begun to collapse and the interior is much less accessible than it used to be.[citation needed] The wreck and surrounding 300 metres (980 ft) was declared a South African National Heritage Site on 23 August 2013[11] after legal salvage efforts in 2012 had badly damaged the wreck.[10]
Dive site description of the wreck of the Pietermaritzburg travel guide from WikivoyageShipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1994 | |
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34°13′12″S18°28′12″E / 34.22000°S 18.47000°E /-34.22000; 18.47000 (SAS Pietermaritzburg)
