HMS Bronington

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Graham_Wright

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For those who don't know/remember this was Prince Charles's command.

When she came up for disposal, I produced a comprehensive proposal for her continued operation under Sea Cadet ownership. I believe there were two (successful) precedents.

I had secured a permanent mooring in Gloucester Docks and permission to operate her (under reduced power) within the Gloucester - Sharpness ship canal.

I also found within the local RNA a team of ex Navy members who held necessary skills at maintaining and operating her.

At the time she was advertised for disposal. I was writing various MOD submissions associated with a number of contracts. I also had various RN and MOD contacts ranging from the likes of admirals, captains, DG Ships, heads of ASWE and AUWE. I had at my (unofficial) disposal a group within the company to produce a highly professional submission.

The proposal I submitted was shamelessly copied (albeit somewhat discretely) to those of my contacts I felt would be supportive. Prince Charles was also appraised of our interest.

MOD rules require proposals to be submitted by a precise time and date and were not allowed to be modified subsequently.

At TS Gloucester civilian committee suggestion, our bid was one golden guinea.

Our bid failed but, perhaps due to "higher influence", we were invited to resubmit our bid. We learned that the City of Manchester had offered £40,000.

I believe that resubmission was, under normal circumstances, forbidden under MOD rules.

We matched the Manchester bid but failed again (and I believe HRH may have had influence).

Subsequent to her disposal, I understand she was converted into a museum ship and toured various docks.

Yesterday, I learned that she was rotting way stern down in Liverpool Docks.

Ugh!
 
Seems a shame that a 'royal yacht' with such good lineage went to waste, especially as the RN has generously provided HMS Egeria (A72) AKA Jonas Hanway in the past, although I understood that she was (unofficially) considered a money pit.

It may be one way to keep ex-military technology from the other side or possibly just bad luck. At least the fate of HMS Bronington is nothing to do with the RN or any linked organisations such as the Marine Society.

Maybe when one of the Archer class plastic hulled ships is up for disposal then the Marine Society may have better luck with their bid, knowing that keeping the ship seaworthy will cost less.
 
The “ton” class minesweepers were built with African mahongany planking on aluminium alloy frames, and powered by a pair of Deltics. Whilst an enthusiast might learn to love the very noisy and diesel guzzling Deltic for its sheer ingenuity, the poultice corrosion forcing the planks off is not something that anyone can fix. You were much better off without her.
 
Minn said:
The “ton” class minesweepers were built with African mahongany planking on aluminium alloy frames, and powered by a pair of Deltics. Whilst an enthusiast might learn to love the very noisy and diesel guzzling Deltic for its sheer ingenuity, the poultice corrosion forcing the planks off is not something that anyone can fix. You were much better off without her.
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I worked on those Ton class sweepers years ago when I was based in HMS Lochinvar, just by the Forth bridge.

I have never heard of poultice corrosion before. Is that likely also to affect composite vessels with iron frames, eg Cutty Sark?
 
I think we have to accept that she is overdue for scrapping. The Ton Class were fun ships to be in when operational but their day has long gone. I served in one out of Port Edgar (fish patrol).
Prince Charles is said to have spent much of his time away from the ship when supposedly in command and his First Lieutenant took charge and to try and preserve her because he had a fleeting part in her career is tenuous in my view.
 
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Poignard said:
I have never heard of poultice corrosion before. Is that likely also to affect composite vessels with iron frames, eg Cutty Sark?
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I've never heard that term before either. It did very much affect the Cutty Sark, with major work required a few years ago. There was also a disastrous fire part way through the project. Shouldn't be hard to find it written up on the web.
 
Poignard said:
I worked on those Ton class sweepers years ago when I was based in HMS Lochinvar, just by the Forth bridge.

I have never heard of poultice corrosion before. Is that likely also to affect composite vessels with iron frames, eg Cutty Sark?
Click to expand...



The Cutty Sark was built with teak and elm planking over wrought iron frames. I understand that she did develop the same problem eventually and has now been treated but the corrosion rate is far lower.

The specific problem is that whilst you can paint the aluminium frames, and the paint available in the fifties was not what it is today, as soon as you bore a hole for a bolt you breach the paint layer, and wet wood lying against aluminium is “asking for it”. Indeed I have been told that the cost of trying to sort it out was a factor in the scrapping of the class.
 
The more modern Hunt class were GRP and built on the same lines as the "Tons". If there is a case for preserving one of these vessels, the the hunt's are the simplest to justify. The original Deltics were replaced by Caterpillar V12's because of reliability issues. These were all fitted out as Minehunters, with more sophisticated electronics, but these, and the 30mm canon that replaced the 40mm Bofors would have been removed before disposal.

As for preserving Bronnington, it had a largely undistinguished service record and its short sojourn under the nominal command of Charlie was, as has been said earlier, more marked by the time he spent away from her than on board. As sweepers, they were cheap and utilitarian craft and those retro-fitted as mine hunters beset with problems relating to the more sophisticated electronics suites and the associate problems of fitting them. The Deltics were difficult enough to service and any major work required the whole engine to be replaced and sent for reconditioning. They were designed to run at constant speed as used in the Deltic Diesel Electric locomotives and the usage patterns of a small ship did them no service. Replacement was very hard as there was no "Soft Patch" that could easily be removed to allow the exchange.
 
Resolution said:
Jeepers! That's about 100 boats/ships or whatever they call them. What on earth did they all do (in peacetime)?
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One decommissioned “ton” spent a couple of years at the nether (non-Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club) end of the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter; having identified her I enquired and a local surveyor told me about the poultice corrosion issues, which I had first heard about from a partner in Ince&Co ten years earlier.

I think a hundred minesweepers are a part of the answer to the question, “What did Britain do with all that Marshall Aid?”
 
Minn said:
One decommissioned “ton” spent a couple of years at the nether (non-Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club) end of the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter; having identified her I enquired and a local surveyor told me about the poultice corrosion issues, which I had first heard about from a partner in Ince&Co ten years earlier.

I think a hundred minesweepers are a part of the answer to the question, “What did Britain do with all that Marshall Aid?”
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In the late seventies there were three minesweepers stationed in Hong Kong. I seem to recall a naval officer telling us that reversing them out of their dockyard was a matter of shut your eyes and full speed astern. Would these have been some of the Ton bunch?
Peter
 
Resolution said:
In the late seventies there were three minesweepers stationed in Hong Kong. I seem to recall a naval officer telling us that reversing them out of their dockyard was a matter of shut your eyes and full speed astern. Would these have been some of the Ton bunch?
Peter
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There was at least 5 when I was there (Late 70s) (Beachampton, Monkton, Wasperton, Wolverton, Yarnton ) which were all converted Ton class. They were joined in 1980 (?) by the Brave class boats and the Hovercraft experimental unit.

The flagship of the flotilla at that time was the harbour Tug 'Claire' as she had the only decent radar set. The tee-shirts said 'Tug of War Claire.

The boats were frequently manned by crews rotating from the Polaris submarines as a bit of a perk for three months.
 
The Rosyth squadron were mostly fishery protection but there were a lot on the Clyde keeping the Hebrides clear of obstructions so the Bombers could come and go at will. We were a bit paranoid during the height of the cold war. They also "patrolled" the Irish sea on the lookout for IRA infiltrators. There were also a couple up in Scapa, certainly in the late 60's as there were always bits of WW2 ordnance turning up, sometimes in fisherman's nets.
 
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