HMS Hedingham Castle (K529)
Template:Other ships Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates
Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristicsHMS Hedingham Castle was a Template:Sclass2 built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed just after Germany surrendered in May 1945, the ship was reduced to reserve in August, but was reactivated a few months later. She became a training ship in January 1949 until the ship was again placed in reserve in 1956. Hedingham Castle was sold for scrap the following year and was broken up beginning in April 1958.
Design and description
The Castle-class corvette was a stretched version of the preceding Template:Sclass2, enlarged to improve seakeeping and to accommodate modern weapons. The ships displaced Template:Convert at standard load and Template:Convert at deep load. The ships had an overall length of Template:Convert, a beam of Template:Convert<ref name=l7/> and a deep draught of Template:Convert. They were powered by a four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers.<ref>Goodwin, p. 2</ref> The engine developed a total of Template:Convert and gave a speed of Template:Convert. The Castles carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of Template:Convert at Template:Convert. The ships' complement was 99 officers and ratings.<ref name=l7>Lenton, p. 297</ref>
The Castle-class ships were equipped with a single [[QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun|QF Template:Convert Mk XVI]] dual-purpose gun forward, but their primary weapon was their single three-barrel Squid anti-submarine mortar. This was backed up by one depth charge rail and two throwers for 15 depth charges. The ships were fitted with two twin and a pair of single mounts for [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Template:Convert Oerlikon]] AA guns.<ref>Campbell, p. 63; Lenton, p. 297</ref> Provision was made for a further four single mounts if needed. They were equipped with Type 145Q and Type 147B ASDIC sets to detect submarines by reflections from sound waves beamed into the water. A Type 272 search radar and a HF/DF radio direction finder rounded out the Castles' sensor suite.<ref>Goodwin, p. 3</ref>
Construction amd career
Named after Hedingham Castle in Essex, Hedingham Castle was ordered on 9 December 1942 under the name Gorey Castle (after Mont Orgueil in Jersey), but was renamed sometime in 1943. The ship was laid down at John Crown & Sons in Sunderland on 2 November 1943 and launched on 30 October 1944 before being commissioned on 12 May 1945, four days after Germany surrendered. Nonetheless, she was assigned to Western Approaches Command's Anti-Submarine Training School at Tobermory, Mull, for three weeks after working up. Hedingham Castle was briefly placed in reserve from August to October at Chatham. She was reactivated that month for air-sea rescue duties under Rosyth Command and was then assigned to the 3rd Escort Flotilla, based at Portland Harbour in 1946. In June 1947 the ship made a port visit to Harwich so she could be visited by the residents of Castle Hedingham who had adopted her. Hedingham Castle was assigned to the 2nd Training Flotilla in January 1949 at Portland.<ref>Goodwin, pp. 171–173</ref>
In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.<ref>Souvenir Programme, Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953, HMSO, Gale and Polden</ref> The ship was again placed in reserve in 1956, albeit at Plymouth, and was sold for scrap on 21 October 1957. Hedingham Castle arrived at Granton in April 1958 to begin demolition.<ref>Goodwin, p. 173</ref>