HMS Shoulton (M1182)

Shoulton was ordered on 17 June 1952 and was launched at Montrose Shipyard, Montrose, Scotland on 10 September 1954.[1] She was completed on 16 November 1955, commissioning with the pennant number M1182.[2]

Shoulton was 152 feet (46.33 m) long overall and 140 feet (42.67 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 28 feet 9 inches (8.76 m) and a draught of 8 feet 3 inches (2.51 m). Displacement was 360 long tons (370 t) normal and 425 long tons (432 t) deep load.[3] Like all the Ton class, the ship had an aluminium-framed wooden hull. She was powered by a pair of Napier Deltic diesel engines which drove two shafts, giving a total of 3,000 shaft horsepower (2,200 kW) and a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[1][4] 45 tons of fuel were carried, giving a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[3][4]

Armament consisted of a single Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun forward and two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon aft.[3][4] Minesweeping equipment included wire sweeps for sweeping moored contact mines and acoustic or magnetic sweeps for dealing with influence mines.[5] Unlike earlier ships of the class, Shoulton was fitted with an enclosed bridge.[4]

In 1957, Shouton was converted into a prototype minehunter by Vosper Thornycroft at their Woolston, Southampton works.[6] In November 1960, Shouton was part of the 50th Mine Sweeping Squadron and in July 1963 joined the First Minesweeping Squadron[lower-alpha 1] as the Senior Officer's ship.[6] From 1965 to 1967, Shouton was refitted with a prototype pump-jet propulsor.[6] The installation was successful, proving resistant to damage (managing to survive a railway sleeper entering the pump-jet without damage to the propulsor), and paved the way for pump-jets being used on the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines.[5] Shoulton together with sister ships Clarbeston and Invermoriston, took part in salvage operations following the crash of an Aer Lingus Vickers Viscount airliner off Rosslare.[6]

On 28 July 1977, Shoulton took part in the Review of the Fleet at Spithead commemorating the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II as part of the 3rd Mine Countermeasures Squadron (3rd MCMS).[6] She transferred to the 2nd Mine Countermeasures Squadron (2 MCMS) in January 1979 and paid off for the last time at Portsmouth on 23 November 1979.[8]

Shoulton was sold for scrapping on 2 February 1981[9] and was broken up in Blyth from 17 April 1981.[6]

• Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1962). Jane's Fighting Ships 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
• Brown, D. K.; Moore, George (2012). Rebuilding the Royal Navy: Warship Design Since 1945. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-150-2.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Worth, Jack (1986). British Warships Since 1945: Part 4: Minesweepers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 0-907771-12-2.