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HMS Portchester Castle (K362)

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History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Portchester Castle
Ordered6 February 1943
BuilderSwan Hunter, Wallsend
Laid down17 March 1943
Launched21 June 1943
IdentificationPennant number: K362
Fatepaid off 1947 and broken up 14 May 1958
General characteristics
Class and typeCastle-class corvette
Displacement1,060 tons
Length252 ft (77 m)
Beam37 ft (11 m)
Draught10 ft (3.0 m)
Installed power2,750 hp (2.05 MW)
Propulsion
  • Two water-tube boilers
  • One 4-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine
  • Single screw
Speed16.5 kn (30.6 km/h)
Range9,500 nmi (17,600 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement112
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Type 272 radar
  • Type 144Q sonar
  • Type 147B sonar
Armament

HMS Portchester Castle was a Castle-class corvette built in 1943 and scrapped in 1958. She was the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named after Portchester Castle in Hampshire, and was used for the 1952 film The Cruel Sea, in which she played Saltash Castle. Also seen in ‘The man who never was’ when the body was delivered to the submarine.

Construction and career

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She was launched on 21 June 1943 at Swan Hunter shipyard in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Sinking of U-484

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On 9 September 1944 Portchester Castle and Helmsdale sank the German submarine U-484 in the North Atlantic north-west of Ireland, in position 55°45′N 11°41′W / 55.750°N 11.683°W / 55.750; -11.683.[1]

Sinking of U-1200

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As one of four ships in 30th Escort Group under the command of Denys Rayner, Portchester Castle shared in the sinking of the German submarine U-1200[2] south of Ireland (in position 50°24′N 09°10′W / 50.400°N 9.167°W / 50.400; -9.167) on 11 November 1944, along with her sister ships Launceston Castle, Pevensey Castle and Kenilworth Castle.[1]

Decommissioning

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She was paid off in 1947.

Film appearances

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In 1951 Portchester Castle was employed to represent the fictitious HMS Saltash Castle in the film The Cruel Sea (1953). The ship was also seen in the film The Man Who Never Was (1955) and The Navy Lark (1959). In both Sea and Lark she is shown wearing the pennant number F362 rather than her own K362.

Fate

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She was scrapped at Troon, Scotland on 14 May 1958.[3]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b "HMS Portchester Castle at u-boat.net". Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  2. ^ "U-1200 at u-boat.net". Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  3. ^ "HMS Portchester Castle at Battleships-Cruisers website". Retrieved 26 April 2009.

Sources

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