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HMS Fittleton (M1136)
Encyclopedia
HMS Fittleton was a Ton class
minesweeper
of the Royal Navy
. She was assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve
and operated from HMS Sussex, but manned by members of both the Sussex division and the London division (HMS President
). She was sunk in a collision with HMS Mermaid
on 20 September 1976 whilst on manoeuvres in the North Sea
. Twelve volunteer Royal Naval Reserve personnel lost their lives making this the worst peacetime accident involving the Royal Naval Reserve.
in the North Sea
HMS Mermaid and HMS Fittleton were involved in an exercise involving the two ships sailing close to each other. The Fittleton was caught in a bow wave and was drawn close to HMS Mermaid by hydrodynamic forces. A collision ensued and the Fittleton turned over within a minute.
Some survivors were picked from the sea and German and Dutch vessels joined Royal Navy ships in searching for survivors with divers going into the upturned hull. The following day a marine crane lifted the wreck of the Fittleton out of the water and the ship was taken to Den Helder
in the Netherlands
where the ship was made watertight and she was then towed back to Chatham Dockyard
. Five bodies were found on the ship but seven were missing presumed drowned.
The Fittleton was scrapped the following year and HMS Mermaid was sold out of service. A full enquiry into the disaster took place. A memorial window was commissioned for the church at Fittleton
in Wiltshire
.
Ton class minesweeper
The Ton class were coastal minesweepers built in the 1950s for the Royal Navy, but also used by other navies such as the South African Navy and the Royal Australian Navy...
minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was assigned to the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
and operated from HMS Sussex, but manned by members of both the Sussex division and the London division (HMS President
HMS President (shore establishment)
HMS President is a stone frigate, or shore establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve; on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Present day:...
). She was sunk in a collision with HMS Mermaid
KD Hang Tuah
KD Hang Tuah is the second of the two frigates operated by Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia since the 1970s before the commissioning of newer ships Jebat, Lekiu, Kasturi and Lekir in the 1990s.- Construction:...
on 20 September 1976 whilst on manoeuvres in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Twelve volunteer Royal Naval Reserve personnel lost their lives making this the worst peacetime accident involving the Royal Naval Reserve.
Sinking
The ship was a wooden hulled minesweeper that had been converted for Royal Naval Reserve training and supply work. About 80 miles (128.7 km) north of TexelTexel
Texel is a municipality and an island in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the biggest and most populated of the Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea, and also the westernmost of this archipelago, which extends to Denmark...
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
HMS Mermaid and HMS Fittleton were involved in an exercise involving the two ships sailing close to each other. The Fittleton was caught in a bow wave and was drawn close to HMS Mermaid by hydrodynamic forces. A collision ensued and the Fittleton turned over within a minute.
Some survivors were picked from the sea and German and Dutch vessels joined Royal Navy ships in searching for survivors with divers going into the upturned hull. The following day a marine crane lifted the wreck of the Fittleton out of the water and the ship was taken to Den Helder
Den Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
where the ship was made watertight and she was then towed back to Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. Five bodies were found on the ship but seven were missing presumed drowned.
The Fittleton was scrapped the following year and HMS Mermaid was sold out of service. A full enquiry into the disaster took place. A memorial window was commissioned for the church at Fittleton
Fittleton
Fittleton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire. The parish also contains the adjacent settlement of Haxton.-Location:...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
.