BEAGLE

[Dennis Maccoy]

The RN Survey Vessel Beagle, completed by Brooke Marine in 1968, at Rosyth on 8 June 1985 with the French submarine Sirene alongside.

[E28]

Beagle with sister ships Bulldog, Fawn and Fox were all built by Brooke Marine in the late 1960's, here shown in the traditional survey fleet colours of white with buff funnel, this scheme being discontinued from the 1990's when the remaining survey fleet reverted to pussers grey. An additional pair Porcupine and Pelican were cancelled but a later single modified ship Roebuck was built in mid 90's.

M1125 is the mine hunter Cuxton named for the Kent village with her post conversion enclosed bridge which was broken up at Bruges 1992. 118 of these Ton class coastal sweepers were built in the 1950's with some never seeing any active RN service being sold abroad whilst others lasted for decades.

The sub Sirene was last of the French Daphne class completed, a very successful but tragic class of boats.

[Hornbeam]

Remembering back to the 1950’s and the Ton’s there there were Four “ Tranches “
Open Bridge, Mirrlees Main Engines,
Enclosed Bridge, Mirrlees Main Engines,
Open Bridge, Deltic Main Engines,
Enclosed Bridge, Deltic Main Engines.
Both the Fords and the Ton’s were designed to take the Deltic, the Fords were the first vessels in the RN to have the soundproof Control Room in the Engineroom and the split Engineroom Casing complete with Funnel for the easy removal of the Deltics to be returned to the Makers as the major overhauls were based on hours run Like Aircraft Engines which they had previously had experience with. The Ford’s as we know never received the Deltics
(In the MN Rolls Royce did the same thing with their Generator Diesels where facilities were built on board to be able to remove them for major overhauls through the Accommodation Block at Deck Level.

When it came to the Ton’s because of the problems with the supply of the Deltic’s which was a bit “hap hazard”, when I was at Vernon a newly built Ton straight from the Builders came alongside complete with Enclosed Bridge but Mirrlees Main Engines and a Scratch Crew off Vanguard who were taking her around to GiB to have the Deltic’s fitted such was the situation in the 1950’s.
It would be true to say however that the Ton’s which were held in reserve in RN Bases throughout the World spent their time moving from Base to Base without turning a Screw being Towed by a RMAS Tug. The conversions of course gave the Dockyards throughout the World plenty of work.
Maintenance “deals” with equipment manufacturers is a major cost factor in today’s military world. Cost effective?
HMS Highburton the first Ton to receive the Deltics was scrapped on the Tees at the old TCC Slipway.