HMS MANXMAN

Abdiel Class Fast Minelayer
3475 tons, 39.75 knots, 418 long o/a,
Of the class of 6 only 3 survived the war.
Latona was sunk within 6 months of commissioning.

I guess the speed was needed so the ships could get in and get out before Jerry knew you had paid him a visit and strewn his channels with your mines.

Nick

They were used for other duties apart from laying mines. One was mocked up as a French destroyer, with the crew wearing appropriate uniforms, to run supplies into Malta. Their spacious mine decks were very useful for carrying supplies, munitions and personnel. I expect Tomvart will give us some details, as he's just bought a book about these very special ships!

I have the book ( my Dad was on Apollo). They were used a lot to run supplies to Malta, but Apollo was also caught laying mines on 15th May, and fired on by HMS Bellona, Tartar, Huron and Haida, despite using her IFF So she stopped minelaying, and returned to Plymouth at high speed, some hours later the other ships returned triumphantly announcing the sinking of a German warship!

Amazing ships, you must be very proud of your old man NickNZ...Apollo was in the thick of it for most of the war, was he on-board when she took Monty, Admirals Betram Ramsay, Phillip Vian & Eisenhower on a v .fast passage across to Normandy on D day +1?

According to the book she sadly ran aground on a sandbank on her final approach (she later was re-floated and went back to Guzz)- her grounding doesn't surprise me really, considering the shifting sandy seabed in that area and the fact that the CO/OOW were using the wrong scale chart on the bridge and an incorrectly plotted nav track by the unfortunate Navigator, it did lead to a court marshal and the CO (Captain Grindle) was severely reprimanded but he retained command.
The President of the court marshal apparently reassured the reprimanded CO after the trial 'Don't worry Johnny, I grounded a battleship within 5 miles of here'!
The destroyer (HMS Undaunted) that ferried the VIPs ashore after Apollo grounded - reassuringly also grounded on her run in that same day - somewhat cheering Capt Grindle up!

Roy, 'Very Special Ships' by Arthur Nicholson was an excellent and highly detailed book about the Abdiel Class (many thanks for the recommendation by the way), I thoroughly enjoyed it (I pretty much devoured it in two days), I found it was well researched and I particularly liked the way he added a personal touch to the story of each ship, by describing the backgrounds and personal anecdotes from key members of the crews of each ship of the class, I only have one criticism - and its a pedantic one, to do with the grammar he uses when naming warships.....'The Latona' The Abdiel' etc etc!. I should learn to steel myself to ignore such minor failings, I was taught that when naming an RN ship she (as a living thing) is always 'Abdiel' or prefixed with 'HMS' - she should never be prefixed 'The'.

Hi Tomvart, yes he was one of many who managed to snap the foursome en route, and I have a copy somewhere amongst his stuff.
He loved His time on the Apollo, but then he was an engineer!
He was recommended for a gong,when, whilst leaning over the stern rail having a “blue liner” saw a mine get caught up during minelaying ops. He alerted the bridge, and was volunteered to sort the snag. No gong, as he was ‘just doing his job’.

My father brought Manxman out of refit in about 1955, was responsible for the engine room side. She went over the measured mile at Malta timed by three people, he said no one will believe you son, but it was well in excess of your quoted speed, even her builders designed speed is faster.