HMS Fittleton
| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Fittleton |
| Namesake | Fittleton, Wiltshire |
| Builder | J. Samuel White, Southampton |
| Laid down | 15 September 1952 |
| Launched | 5 February 1954 |
| Renamed | HMS Curzon between 1960 and 1975 |
| Identification | Pennant number: M1136 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Ton-class minesweeper |
| Displacement | 440 long tons |
| Length | 152 ft (46.3 m) |
| Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
| Draught | 8 ft (2.4 m) |
| Propulsion | Originally Mirrlees diesel, later Napier Deltic, producing 3,000 shp (2,200 kW) on each of two shafts |
| Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Armament | |
HMS Fittleton, originally named HMS Curzon, was a wooden-hulled Ton-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy which spent most of her career in the Royal Naval Reserve. She was sunk in a collision with HMS Mermaid on 20 September 1976 whilst en route to Hamburg for an official visit. Twelve naval service personnel (eleven from the Royal Naval Reserve along with one from the Royal Navy) lost their lives, making this the worst peacetime accident involving the Royal Naval Reserve.