NAVY NEWS, APRIL 1993
Mo. 449
Ships of the Royal Navy
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HEROIC ACTION TOOK HEAVY TOLL OF LIFE ONE previous ship has borne the name HMS Walney. She was a 2,000 ton gun boat built in 1930.
HMS Walney and her sister ship HMS Hartland were carrying commandos and American shock troops whose task was to capture the harbour. Led by the Walney, the force breached the harbour defensive boom and landed the assault troops in the face of pointblank fire from shore batteries, a destroyer and a cruiser. Both ships were lost with very heavy loss of life, but not before HMS Walncy had sunk the enemy destroyer. Capt. Frederic Thornton Peters, commanding the operation from HMS Walney, was awarded the Victoria Cross for this action — a testament to the heroism of all concerned. The Walney's second battle honour followed, North Africa 1942.
On May 12 1941 this vessel, then the United States Coast Guard cutter USS Sebago, was transferred to Britain for the war effort. She immediately saw action in the Atlantic and there between 1941 and 1942 earned her first battle honour, Atlantic 1941-42. In November 1942 the Walney participated in one of the most hazardous naval operations of the Second World War — the assault on Oran harbour during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in French North Africa.
WELCOM WALNEY NEWLY-commissioned HMS Walney is a single role minehunter and the fourth of the Sandown Class to enter service with the Royal Navy. She was accepted on August 19 1992 from Vosper Thornycroft at Southampton. Sophisticated modular construction techniques allowed the Walney to be finished to a high standard in a short time. The design of the single role minehunter has been developed from the successful Hunt class mine countermeasures vessels a n d also i n c o r p o r a t e s t h e results of in-service experience and extensive research by the builder. The resulting unidircctionally stiffened single-skin glass reinforced plastic structure is now both lighter and more cost effective than the Hunt class. By the use of advanced materials and techniques, throughbolting of hull frames — previously required to prevent separation under severe shock — has been eliminated.
by two 500kW Paxman Valenta diesel engines. During minehunting, to reduce vibration and noise, the ship runs on Slow Speed Drive (SSD); two lOOkW electric motors each linked to a synchronised selfshifting clutch in turn drive the shafts.
Carousel Instead of conventional propellers, the ship is fitted with two Voith Schneider cycloidal propeller units. These consist of five blades hanging down from a rotating carousel. By altering the pitch of the blades, thrust can be applied in any direction. Used in conjunction with the ship's two bow thrusters, they
Displacement: 484 tonnes. Length: 52.5 metres. Beam: 10.5m. Draught: 2.2m. Weapons/sensors: BMARC single 30mm gun; sonar 2093; RCMDS 2; 1007 radar; 780NT echo sounder; NNS 2000 navigation aid. Ship's company: five officers; seven senior rates and 22 junior rates. HMS Walney was launched in November 1991 by Lady Wilson, wife of Vicc-Admiral Sir Barry Wilson. Following her acceptance into naval service the ship underwent a period of extensive trials. On February 20 this year HMS W a l n e y was commissioned at Rosyth Naval Base. Lady Wilson was the guest of honour, accompanied by her husband.
Painting During the ceremony Lady Wilson presented the ship with a painting of the Island of Walney, from which the vessel takes her name. The picture was painted by Mr John Houston of Dalgety Bay in Fife, father of the ship's navigating officer, Lieut. Darren Houston. As a Sandown Class SRMH, HMS Walncy is one of the world's most effective minehunters. Her capability is based on a highly sophisticated variable depth minehunting sonar to detect and identify mines, a Naval Autonomous Tactical Information System (Nautis M) which manages the mine-warfare task, and a remote controlled mine disposal system, v i r t u a l l y a m i n i a t u r e unmanned submarine with its own sonar, televisions and searchlights, which can carry an explosive charge, cable cutters or a manipulator arm. For normal running, propulsion is provided for the Walney
allow the Walney to move in any direction or keep an exact position regardless of wind and tide. Situated on the port side of the bridge is the Walney's Ship Position Control System (SPCS), which allows direct computer control of the ship's position and track. In this way the ship can automatically follow a given navigational track or hover using inputs from the navigation equipment and NAUTIS system. The ship can also be accurately "driven" from the bridge wings, the hangar roof or the operations room by the use of a p o r t a b l e joystick. HMS Walney has recently visited her affiliated town. Barrow-in-Furness, where the public flocked to see her. It is intended to establish affiliations with the Army, the RAF and a school Combined Cadet Force u n i t , as well as to strengthen ties already established with TS Quantock, TS Sovereign and Furness General Hospital.
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POSTCARDS of Ships of the Royal Navy and obtainable at 65p each (minimum order £1.95) from Navy News, HMS Nelson, Portsmouth PO1 3HH. An order for 12 cards is priced at £7 and a standing order for the supply of each of 12 cards on publication can be arranged on receipt of £10.SO/ foreign £12. Prices include postage and packing, and postcards will be despatched on receipt of stamps, postal order or cheque. No postcards are stocked of ships which paid off before 1956.
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