Ton Class Minesweepers
HMS Bronington M1115
The final warship of the Birkenhead trio was HMS Bronington M1115, a Ton Class Minesweeper of the Royal Navy. Launched on 19th March 1953, HMS Bronington was one of the Royal Navy's last wooden hulled minesweepers, and was powered by twin Paxman Deltic 18A-7A diesel engines which generated 3,000bhp. Famous for being commanded by HRH Prince Charles during 1976, she had a displacement of 440 tons and could reach a speed of 16 knots, but despite being preserved, she was later moved to the Vittoria Basin at Birkenhead Docks, where on 17th March 2016 she sank at her moorings, and currently the HMS Bronington Preservation Trust Ltd is raising funds to attempt to raise her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F40k6yvLlxg