SAS Somerset
 HMS Barcross | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name: | HMS Barcross |
| Owner: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Blyth Harbour and Dock Company Blyth, Northumberland, England |
| Laid down: | 15 April 1941 |
| Launched: | 21 October 1941 |
| Decommissioned: | 1947 |
| Out of service: | Transferred to South African Naval Forces, 21 January 1943 |
| Renamed: | HMSAS Somerset in 1943 |
| Identification: | Pennant number: Z185 |
.svg.png){kind=small} .svg.png){kind=small} South Africa | |
| Name: | HMSAS Somerset |
| Namesake: | Dick King's horse[Note 1] |
| Builder: | Blyth Shipyard |
| Commissioned: | 21 January 1943 |
| Renamed: | SAS Somerset, 1951 |
| Homeport: | Simon's Town |
| Identification: | Pennant number: P285[1] |
| Badge: |
 |
.svg.png){kind=small} .png){kind=small} South Africa | |
| Name: | SAS Somerset |
| Owner: | South African Navy |
| Decommissioned: | 31 March 1986 |
| Homeport: | Simon's Town |
| Identification: | Pennant number: P285[1] |
| Fate: | Moored at Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Table Bay Harbour, Cape Town, since 2 September 1988 as part of Iziko Museum[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bar-class boom defence vessel |
| Displacement: | 750 tons standard, 960 tons maximum |
| Length: | 45.72 m (150.0 ft) |
| Beam: | 9.76 m (32.0 ft) |
| Draught: | 3.37 m (11.1 ft) |
| Propulsion: | One vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engine |
| Speed: | 11.75 kn (21.76 km/h) |
| Range: | 3000 mi |
| Complement: | 32 |
| Armament: | 1 × 12-pdr HA/LA gun |
SAS Somerset was a Bar-class boom defence vessel of the South African Navy, now preserved as a museum ship in Cape Town.
History
Somerset was originally built in Blyth, Northumberland, by Blyth Shipbuilding Company[3] and commissioned as HMS Barcross in 1941.[4]
She is now used as a museum ship, has been moored on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town since 2 September 1988,[5] and is the only boom defence vessel remaining in the world.[6]
Gallery
SAS Somerset on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, September 2010 (stern view)
SAS Somerset on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, September 2010 (bow view)
Notes
- ↑ The ship was named after famous horse that carried Dick King from Durban to Grahamstown in 1842. The connection is perpetuated in the seahorse on the ship’s crest.
References
 Photos of the exterior and interior of SAS Somerset at sa-transport.co.za |
- 1 2 Pennant Numbers in the SA Navy
- ↑ Iziko - Museums of Cape Town (SAS Somerset)
- ↑ "SAS Somerset". National Historic Ships. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ↑ Du Toit, Allan (1992). South Africa's Fighting Ships: Past and Present. Ashanti. pp. 139–144. ISBN 1-874800-50-2.
- ↑ Du Toit, Allan (1992). South Africa's Fighting Ships: Past and Present. Ashanti. p. 144. ISBN 1-874800-50-2.
- ↑ "SAS Somerset". Transport in South Africa. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/26/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.