HMT Bracklyn
Bracklyn was a British steam fishing trawler. Completed in 1914, it was almost immediately requisitioned as a minesweeper by the Royal Navy to take part in the First World War. It ran aground at Great Yarmouth in 1916, but was towed off and re-floated by a tug. In May 1917, the ship was mined by a U-boat and sank, killing the crew. Construction and designBracklyn (Official Number 13688), a steel fishing trawler, was constructed in Aberdeen by J. Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Co. for The Brooklyn Fishing Company Ltd., Fleetwood.[1][3] The trawler measured 303 gross register tons (GRT) and 122 net register tons (NRT) and featured a length of 125.8 ft (38.3 m), a beam of 23.4 ft (7.1 m), and a height of 13.2 ft (4.0 m).[1] Bracklyn was launched on 22 April 1914 and was completed a month later in May, being registered by her owners in Fleetwood on 28 May 1914.[1] HistoryFirst World War serviceIn December 1914, seven months after her registration, Bracklyn was requisitioned by the Royal Navy for service in the First World War, becoming a minesweeper.[1] On 28 March 1916, the warship and four other civilian ships ran aground on Corton Beach, Great Yarmouth during a period of bad weather.[1] When the weather cleared, Bracklyn was towed off the beach by the tug Lowestoft, assisted by the lifeboat Kentwell.[1] The following year, on 11 May 1917, Bracklyn sank at 52°42′00″N 2°10′00″E / 52.7°N 2.166667°E after striking a mine laid by SM UC-1 three days earlier.[1][2][4] The entire crew of ten were killed in action.[1] References
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