Volume Six - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - Select Aspects - The Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve Fleet at Penarth Dock

H.M.S. Jessamine - Her sister ship, H.M.S. Azalea is pictured here. Does anyone have a photograph of H.M.S. Jessamine please?

Described as a Flower Class fleet sweeping sloop built at the Neptune yard of Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at Low Walker on the Tyne and was launched in August 1915. She was of 1,200 tons, 262 feet overall length and with a 33' - 6" beam. She was utilised as a minesweeper and for general patrol duties.

She was sold to T. E. Evans at Penarth in December 1922 for breaking up so did not form part of the RN Reserve Fleet at Penarth but I felt she was worthy of note given her service to the RN in the Mediterranean. There was a T. E. Evans & Co., Ltd. of London who were ship owners in the 1930's and also I found a reference to Evans, T. E., Cardiff who, in the years 1920‑22, were shipbreakers. I would be interested in any further information regarding the history and activities of this company.

H.M.S. Sharpshooter (N 68) - A Halcyon Class Minesweeper which was adopted by the civil community of Penarth in March 1942.

Warship Week : National Savings campaign of 1942. The background to this was that the Royal Navy had a long tradition of forming links to landbased communities some who whom, for example, carried the ship's name. Often the ship's company would visit their ‘adopted’ community and parade through the streets. A National campaign for the war effort during 1942 extended these traditional ties to fundraising efforts for War Bonds. Over 1,200 cities, towns and villages arranged events and often exceeded targets ; these events realised an amazing sum of £955,611,589.