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	De Brouwer (M904)
History
United Kingdom
Name	Spanker
Namesake	Spanker
Ordered	15 November 1940
Builder	Harland & Wolff, Belfast
Laid down	22 September 1942
Launched	20 April 1943
Commissioned	20 August 1943
Decommissioned	December 1947
Identification	Pennant number: J226
Fate	Sold to Belgium, 1953
Belgium
Name	De Brouwer
Namesake	De Brouwer
Acquired	1953
Commissioned	25 February 1953
Decommissioned	1966
Stricken	1966
Identification	Pennant number: M904
Fate	Scrapped, 1967
General characteristics
Class and type	Algerine-class minesweeper
Displacement	850 long tons (864 t) (standard); 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) (deep);
Length	225 ft (69 m) o/a
Beam	35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draught	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Installed power	2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers; 2,000 ihp (1,500 kW);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × Parsons geared steam turbines;
Speed	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Range	5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	85
Armament	1 × QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun; 4 × twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon;

HMS Spanker (J226) was a steam turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1953 as De Brouwer (M904).

Design and description

The turbine-powered ships displaced 850 long tons (860 t) at standard load and 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) at deep load. The ships measured 225 feet (68.6 m) long overall with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). The turbine group had a draught of 11 feet (3.4 m). The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.^[1]

The ships had two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,000 indicated horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). They carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[1]

The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun^[2] and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges.^[1]

Construction and career

Service in the Royal Navy

The ship was ordered on 15 November 1940 at the Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Ireland. She was laid down on 22 September 1942 and launched on 20 April 1943. She was commissioned on 20 August 1943.^[3] She joined the 19th Minesweeper Flotilla.^[4]

Service in the Belgian Navy

Spanker was renamed De Brouwer and was commissioned on 25 February 1953.

On 3 May 1961, she visited Brest and later on the 14th, she left for Portsmouth.^[5]

De Brouwer was decommissioned in 1963 and the ship was sold for scrap to Firma Heyghen, Ghent in 1967. Only until 1968, she was towed to the scrap yard.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lenton, p. 261
^ Chesneau, p. 65
^ "HMS Spanker (J 226) of the Royal Navy - British Minesweeper of the Algerine class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^ "HMS Spanker, minesweeper". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Mouvements du M/F 904 De Brouwer". www.belgian-navy.be (in French). Retrieved 6 September 2021.

Bibliography

Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
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.
Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-08401-9.
Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.