HMT Amethyst
Encyclopedia
HMT Amethyst was a naval trawler
requisitioned by the Admiralty
prior to the Second World War
. She was sunk in the second year of the war.
Amethyst was built as the commercial trawler Phyllis Rosalie by Smiths Dock Company
, South Bank-on-Tees and was launched on 15 January 1934. Her first owners were the Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, based at Fleetwood
. In 1935 she set a number of records for catches landed at Fleetwood, and was present at HM King George V
's Silver Jubilee Spithead Review, representing the port of Fleetwood. She was sold later that year to the Admiralty, who had her converted into an anti-submarine warfare
trawler with the addition of ASDIC and a 4 in gun. They classed her and a number of other trawlers as the Gem group, and the name Amethyst was selected.
She continued to serve during the Second World War, but on 24 November 1940, whilst under the command of T/Lt. the Hon. W.K. Rous, RNVR
, she struck a mine
in the Thames Estuary
and sank. There were no casualties, and the survivors were landed at Southend, where they were briefly arrested under the suspicion of being survivors from a sunken German craft.
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
requisitioned by the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
prior to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was sunk in the second year of the war.
Amethyst was built as the commercial trawler Phyllis Rosalie by Smiths Dock Company
Smiths Dock Company
Smiths Dock Company, Limited, often referred to simply as Smiths Dock, was a British shipbuilding company.-History:The company was originally established by Thomas Smith who bought William Rowe's shipyard at St. Peter's in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1810 and traded as William Smith & Co. The company...
, South Bank-on-Tees and was launched on 15 January 1934. Her first owners were the Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, based at Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
. In 1935 she set a number of records for catches landed at Fleetwood, and was present at HM King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
's Silver Jubilee Spithead Review, representing the port of Fleetwood. She was sold later that year to the Admiralty, who had her converted into an anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
trawler with the addition of ASDIC and a 4 in gun. They classed her and a number of other trawlers as the Gem group, and the name Amethyst was selected.
She continued to serve during the Second World War, but on 24 November 1940, whilst under the command of T/Lt. the Hon. W.K. Rous, RNVR
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...
, she struck a mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
in the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
and sank. There were no casualties, and the survivors were landed at Southend, where they were briefly arrested under the suspicion of being survivors from a sunken German craft.