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HMS Cam (K264)

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HMS Cam 1944 IWM IWM FL 7419.jpg
HMS Cam in 1944
History
United Kingdom
NameCam
NamesakeRiver Cam
BuilderGeorge Brown & Co., Greenock
Laid down30 June 1942
Launched31 July 1943
Commissioned31 January 1944
FateScrapped, July 1945
General characteristics
Class and typeRiver-class frigate
Displacement
  • 1,370 long tons (1,390 t)
  • 1,830 long tons (1,860 t) (deep load)
Length
  • 283 ft (86.26 m) p/p
  • 301.25 ft (91.82 m)o/a
Beam36.5 ft (11.13 m)
Draught9 ft (2.74 m); 13 ft (3.96 m) (deep load)
PropulsionParsons single reduction steam turbines, 6,500 shp (4,800 kW)
Speed20 knots (37.0 km/h)
Range440 long tons (450 t; 490 short tons) oil fuel; 7,200 nautical miles (13,334 km) at 12 knots (22.2 km/h)
Complement107
Armament

HMS Cam (K264) was a River-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN) from 1944–1945. She served in convoy defence duties in the North Atlantic during World War II. Cam was built to the RN's specifications as a Group II River-class frigate, though Cam was one of the few powered by a turbine engine.

The River class was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts and were named for rivers in the United Kingdom. The ships were designed by naval engineer William Reed, of Smith's Dock Company of South Bank-on-Tees, to have the endurance and anti-submarine capabilities of the Black Swan-class sloops, while being quick and cheap to build in civil dockyards using the machinery (e.g. reciprocating steam engines instead of turbines) and construction techniques pioneered in the building of the Flower-class corvettes. Its purpose was to improve on the convoy escort classes in service with the Royal Navy at the time, including the Flower class.

After commissioning in January 1944, Cam participated in anti-submarine warfare exercises off Tobermory, Mull and Lough Foyle before being assigned for convoy escort duty in the North Atlantic. In May and June 1944, Cam participated in the Normandy landings.[1]

On 18 July 1944, Cam was patrolling the English Channel with HMCS Waskesiu, HMCS Grou, and HMCS Outremont with HMCS New Waterford and HMCS Cape Breton nearby. A potential U-boat sighting was reported at 08:30, and the ships sortied to meet it. An explosion occurred whilst Cam was dropping depth charges on the potential target, badly damaging the stern of the ship and injuring 55. Cam was towed by Cape Breton to a buoy off Yarmouth Roads, whilst the most seriously injured were transferred first to New Waterford and then to RNH Haslar. On 19 July, Cam was towed by tug to Portsmouth where she was declared a total loss.

At a subsequent enquiry, it was determined that the depth charges likely hit the wreck of either the ammunition ship Ajax or Crestflower, both of which were sunk in the area on 8 August 1940. American small arm ammunition was found on the deck of Cam post-explosion.

On 22 June 1945, Cam was sold for scrap. In July 1945, she was broken up in Sunderland.[2]

Discover more about HMS Cam (K264) related topics

Frigate

Frigate

A frigate is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.

Convoy

Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.

Black Swan-class sloop

Black Swan-class sloop

The Black Swan class and Modified Black Swan class were two classes of sloop of the Royal Navy and Royal Indian Navy. Twelve Black Swans were launched between 1939 and 1943, including four for the Royal Indian Navy; twenty-five Modified Black Swans were launched between 1942 and 1945, including two for the Royal Indian Navy; several other ships were cancelled.

Flower-class corvette

Flower-class corvette

The Flower-class corvette was a British class of 294 corvettes used during World War II by the Allied navies particularly as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the Battle of the Atlantic. Royal Navy ships of this class were named after flowers.

Corvette

Corvette

A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloop-of-war.

Lough Foyle

Lough Foyle

Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle, is the estuary of the River Foyle, on the north coast of Ireland. It lies between County Londonderry in Northern Ireland and County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. Sovereignty over the waters has been in dispute since the Partition of Ireland.

English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel, also known as simply the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.

HMCS Waskesiu

HMCS Waskesiu

HMCS Waskesiu was a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy. The frigate served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. It was the first frigate constructed and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy. Following the war, the vessel was sold to India where it was renamed Hooghly. Named for the town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, there was already a warship named "Prince Albert". The Royal Canadian Navy then named the ship after the town closest to Prince Albert National Park.

HMCS Grou

HMCS Grou

HMCS Grou was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as an ocean convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named for Jean Grou, a Roman Catholic martyr from Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec. The town's name was considered too long for a warship, so they chose something that was significantly tied to it.

HMCS Cape Breton (K350)

HMCS Cape Breton (K350)

HMCS Cape Breton was a River-class frigate that served the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the war. She was named for Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. She was the first to carry her name, HMCS Cape Breton was the second.

Depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosive charges and a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft, and helicopters.

Ammunition ship

Ammunition ship

An ammunition ship is an auxiliary ship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for naval ships and aircraft. An ammunition ship's cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks between decks, and mechanisms for flooding entire compartments with sea water in case of emergencies. Ammunition ships most often deliver their cargo to other ships using underway replenishment, using both connected replenishment and vertical replenishment. To a lesser extent, they transport ammunition from one shore-based weapons station to another.

Source: "HMS Cam (K264)", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, April 15th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Cam_(K264).

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References
  1. ^ "HMS Cam, frigate". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  2. ^ "HMS Cam (K 264) of the Royal Navy - British Frigate of the River class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
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