HMS Knaresborough Castle
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English
Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristicsHMS Knaresborough Castle (K389) was a Template:Sclass2 built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed in 1944, the ship escorted 16 convoys between the UK and Gibraltar before the surrender of Germany in May 1945. She was then assigned air-sea rescue duties at Gibraltar and Freetown until her return to British waters in early 1946. Knaresborough Castle was reduced to reserve upon her arrival. The ship was reactivated and became a training ship in 1952. She returned to reserve two years later and was sold for scrap in 1956.
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 and career
Knaresborough Castle was ordered on 19 January 1943, laid down at Blyth Dry Dock in Blyth, Northumberland, on 22 April, launched on 28 September 1943 and completed on 5 April 1944. After several weeks of training at Western Approaches Command's Anti-Submarine Training School at Tobermory, Mull, the ship joined Escort Group B3 on the UK-Gibraltar run. On 18–19 October, Knaresborough Castle and her sister ship, Template:HMS rescued some of the crew of LCT 488 before it capsized. The ship was refitted at Ardrossan two months later. Upon its completion, she received refresher training at Tobermory for several weeks and was then assigned to the Liverpool Escort Pool. Knaresborough Castle finished the last of her 16 convoys on 27 May 1945. She returned to Gibraltar at the end of June to begin her air-sea rescue assignment. The ship arrived at Freetown on 12 November with the same assignment. The corvette returned to Harwich on 27 January 1946 and was reduced to reserve upon her arrival. Knaresborough Castle completed a refit at Grimsby on 27 August 1949 and returned to reserve. The ship was activated in September 1952 and briefly refitted for service with Plymouth Command as an air training target ship.<ref>Goodwin, pp. 195–199</ref> 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> Knaresborough Castle completed a refit on 15 February 1954 and returned to reserve in July. The ship was sold for scrap in 1956 and arrived at Port Glasgow on 16 March to begin demolition.<ref>Goodwin, p. 199</ref><ref>Colledge, Warlow & Bush, p. 235</ref>