 Sir Galahad in April 1942 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSSir Galahad |
| Laid down | 13 June 1941 |
| Launched | 18 December 1941 |
| Commissioned | 28 February 1942 |
| Decommissioned | February 1946 |
| Stricken | April 1946 |
| Fate | Transferred to civilian ownership |
 | |
| Name | Star of Freedom |
| Owner | Walker Steam Trawling & Fishing Co Ltd |
| Acquired | April 1947 |
| Fate | sold March 1956 |
| |
| Name | Robert Limbrick |
| Owner | Milford Fisheries Ltd |
| Acquired | March 1956 |
| Fate | Ran aground on Quinish Point offMull, 5 February 1957 |
| General characteristics (Royal Navy service) | |
| Class and type | Round Table-classminesweeper, laterdanlayer |
| Displacement | 440 long tons (447 t) |
| Length | 125 ft (38.1 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 in (7.2 m) |
| Draught | 13 ft 9 in (4.2 m) |
| Complement | 35 |
| Armament |
|
HMSSir Galahad was atrawler built for the BritishRoyal Navy in 1941. Post war it was sold into civilian service and was wrecked in 1957 after running aground off theIsle of Mull.
The vessel was built byHall, Russell & Company ofAberdeen to a 1936 design of the same company.[1] Although the design was for a trawler the ship was commissioned as aminesweeper (Pennant number T226).[2] Launched in December 1941 she was the second member of theRound Table class.[3] In March 1943 theSir Galahad was one of the first ships to respond when the aircraft carrierHMS Dasher sank in theRiver Clyde.[4] In 1944, having been converted to adanlayer,Sir Galahad was attached to the 14th Minesweeping Flotilla, part of Force U.[5] The 14th Minesweeping Flotilla took part inOperation Neptune, the maritime part of theNormandy Landings.[6]
Decommissioned in February 1946, the ship was sold in April of the same year to the Walker Steam Trawling & Fishing Co Ltd of Aberdeen and renamedStar of Freedom, her merchant marine registration number being A283.[5] Walker's sold the vessel onto Milford Fisheries Ltd ofMilford Haven who renamed the ship again as theRobert Limbrick.[1]
Less than a year after purchase by Milford Fisheries Ltd, theRobert Limbrick was lost at sea with the loss of all 12 of her crew. She had sailed from Milford on 2 February 1957 under skipper William Burgoyne to fish forhake off Scotland. On 5 February reports were received byOban radio that the ship was aground off Quinish Point, Mull (56°38′00″N6°13′42″W / 56.63333°N 6.22833°W /56.63333; -6.22833) and that the crew had abandoned ship.[5] Despite a search by other vessels in the area and thelifeboat fromMallaig, no survivors were found and only two bodies were recovered at the time.[7] The bodies of the rest of the crew were washed ashore over the next weeks.
The ship's total loss was reported by the Salvage Association's surveyor on 7 February 1957 who reported:
Trawler Robert Limbrick, ashore Quinish Point, Mull: Survey shows vessel lying on port side, which not visible but damage to this side suspected extensive. Starboard side so far as visible severely damaged from forecastle to stem. Shell plating fractured from bulwark to keel and badly holed in way of fish hold also abreast of bridge. Deck fractured abreast of fish hold, stern frame broken, rudder missing, suspect propeller and tailshaft badly damaged. Engine-room and hull flooded and lifeboat badly stove in. Forward portion of vessel flexing with action of sea where fractured, not possible to board. Consider salvage impracticable. Further SW gales will accelerate vessel breaking up.[8]
A memorial service was held for the crew at St Katherine's church, Milford Haven on 27 February 1957.[5]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1957 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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