HMS Owen


HMS Owen was a frigate built for the Royal Navy during World War 2.

Design and description

Owen was converted into a survey vessel while still under construction. She displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ship had an overall length of, a beam of and a draught of. She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of and gave a maximum speed of. Owen carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave her a range of at. The ship's complement was 133 officers and ratings.
The survey ships were armed only with four 3-pounder saluting guns.

Construction and career

She was named for the explorer and naval officer William Fitzwilliam Owen. She was originally laid down as the vessel Loch Muick, and re-ordered as Thurso Bay while building. She was completed as Owen, modified for use as a survey vessel for dealing with the large numbers of uncharted wrecks and mines around the British Isles as a result of World War II. For this purpose she was fitted for minesweeping.