HMS Ready (J223)
HMS Ready was a steam turbine-powered during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Belgium in 1951 as Van Haverbeke .
Design and description
The turbine-powered ships displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ships measured long overall with a beam of. The turbine group had a draught of. The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.The ships had two Parsons geared steam turbines, 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. They carried a maximum of of fuel oil that gave them a range of at.
The Algerine class was armed with a QF Mk V anti-aircraft gun and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges.
Construction and career
Service in the Royal Navy
The ship was ordered on 15 November 1940 at the Harland & Wolff at Belfast, Ireland. She was laid down on 14 April 1942 and launched on 11 January 1943. She was commissioned on 21 May 1943.On 29 December 1944 she captured the miniature submarine Biber 90 which was found with its sole crew-member dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was towed to Dover although sunk in the harbour before being recovered.
Ready was decommissioned in 1948.
She was then sold to Belgium in 1951.
Service in the Belgian Navy
Ready was renamed Van Haverbeke and was commissioned on 4 July 1951.The ship was decommissioned in June 1960 and sold for to Mr. Bakker P.V.B.A, Bruges for scrap on 7 March 1961.