Halcyon Class Minesweepers HMS Speedwell 1945
 
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HMS Speedwell
HMS Speedwell

Date of Arrival

Place

Date of Departure

Orders, Remarks etc

8.1.45

Harwich

15.1.45

 

26.1.45

Harwich

2.2.45

 

2.2.45

Harwich

19.2.45

5/2 Taken in hand for boiler cleaning

21.2.45

Harwich

24.2.45

 

27.2.45

Source: ADM 199/153 (Extracts)

Tuesday 27th February 1945 

1. (a) HMS Harrier sailed at 0430 to lay datum dans.

(b) HMS Hazard sailed at 0445 with dan layers Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and Lord Ashfield.

(c) HM Ships Seagull, Halcyon and SPEEDWELL sailed at 0515. Sweepers and danlayers to rendezvous with Harrier North West of Area. 

(2. – 5. Details of sweep) 

6. At 1000… a mine detonated in Hazard’s (rear ship) sweeps. The plume was about 30 feet… Inquiries were made of her and she was unable to determine when or where she had picked up this mine… 

7. During the second lap a mine detonated in Seagull’s sweep and parted it. There was no plume and from this fact and her position it was assumed to be one of our deep mines...  

(At 1334 the visibility, which had been good, closed down to half a mile and then became thick fog. Sweeping was abandoned as it was 4 hours passage to the anchorage for the danlayers and it was thought prudent to have them inside our patrols before dark.) 

Wednesday 28th February 

Flotilla and danlayers ordered to return to Harwich by the C in C Nore.

28.2.45

Harwich

9.3.45

2/3 SPEEDWELL was in collision with Catherine. Repairs to SPEEDWELL will be completed by 5/3

17.3.45

Harwich

24.3.45

 

30.3.45

Harwich

6.4.45

 

9.4.45

Harwich

23.4.45

 

27.4.45

Source: ADM 199/153 (Extracts)

7th May 1945

1st MSF Report No. 5 

From: The Commanding Officer, HMS Gleaner
Date: 27th April 1945
To:   The Senior Officer, 1st MSF, HMS Harrier 

0846 27th April 1945. Seagull, SPEEDWELL, Gleaner, Hazard, Halcyon. 

Harrier was 6 ˝ cables astern of Gleaner with SA Mk IV and Halcyon was operating explosive sweep. 

Standard hand grenade sweep every two minutes. Mine explosion one minute after explosion of hand grenades. Normal explosion about 150 ft high. 

30.4.45

Harwich

17.5.45

 

26.5.45

Harwich

3.6.45

 

5.6.45

Cuxhaven

6.7.45

In June she was operating in the Heligoland Bight with HALCYON and others under the orders of MSF.18.

17.7.45

Harwich

3.8.45

SPEEDWELL grounded on 17 July and had to proceed to Ipswich for repairs.
SPEEDWELL is to be taken in hand and complete by 29/7

14.8.45

Harwich

20.8.45

 

28.8.45

Harwich

2.9.45

 

10.9.45

Harwich

21.9.45

 

24.9.45

Harwich

?

 

30.9.45

Humber

1.1.46

She spent October, November and most of December 1945 refitting at Grimsby.

Intend to sail SPEEDWELL to Portsmouth, ETA 2/1

30/12 SPEEDWELL delayed by fog

     

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This site was last updated 17 Januar 2012