PEQUENA
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2015 8:55 pm
The last ship of this nice set of stamps, congratulations for the Tristan da Cunha Post Service for this nice designed stamps. The information we have on this stamps before is complete wrong she was not built in 1912 but much later. http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 84&start=0
£5 MV PEQUENA
Called at Tristan on numerous occasions between 1948 and 1953. MV PEQUENA was a wooden-hulled minesweeper converted for crawfishing, built in Nova Scotia and 184 gross tons, she was a surprisingly small ship for the long trip between Cape Town and Tristan da Cunha. In 1948 the crawfish industry sponsored by the wartime padre Reverend Lawrence was becoming established and this vessel was used for the survey and later for handling the catches and transport to South Africa. Mail in and off the island were transported by it and during the survey illustrated envelopes were produced which are now highly collectable. Mail today can be found from most of its sailings.
We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of Robin Taylor and Ray Lloyd.
Source: Tristan da Cunha press release.
The PEQUENA was built as a wooden hulled minesweeper by Clare Shipbuilders Co. Meteghan Nova Scotia, Canada for the Royal Navy.
30 January 1942 ordered.
17 August 1942 launched.
Displacement 225 tons, dim.36.0 x 7.0 x 2.90m. (draught), length bpp 32.0m.
Powered by one Fairbank-Morse diesel engine 375hp, one shaft, speed maximum 12 knots.
Armament: 2 – 20mm AA guns and 2 0.5 inch MG.
Crew 20
05 May 1943 commissioned in Royal Navy as MMS 242 (pennant J742).
The MMS (1) class were a class of 312 coastal minesweepers built for the Royal Navy between 1940 and 1945. They were of wooden construction to counteract magnetic mines.
The coastal minesweepers had pennant numbers MMS1 to MMS312 and MMS1001 to MMS1090. They were nicknamed ‘Mickey Mouse’.
Although the Motor Minesweepers lacked the power to tow sweeps for contact mines they were suitable for handling equipment for combating magnetic mines and some later models were fitted with an acoustic hammer on a retractable "A" frame over the bows for countering acoustic mines.
The Motor Minesweepers had limited use post-war so they were quickly disposed of. Three were transferred by Lend-Lease to the Soviet Navy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMS-class_minesweeper
27 November 1946 the MMS 242 was sold to? renamed JERO (GBR flag, reg. London, ON 181523) for Middle East service.
194? Sold to ? renamed PEQUENA (reg. Cape Town?)
From 1948 till 1952 used in the transport of crawfish and mail between Tristan da Cunha and Cape Town.
One her first return voyage from Tristan da Cunha she lost her rudder in a position about 600 miles from Cape Town and was towed by HMSAS TRANSVAAL (K602) from 05 February 1949 till 09 February to Cape Town.
1953 British registry closed.
Fate unknown.
Source: Mr. David Asprey and Mr Adi Carmichael http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/hist ... ewwtwo.htm http://uboat-net
Tristan da Cunha 2015 £5 sg?, scott? (Tho photo is of one of the class of minesweepers.)
£5 MV PEQUENA
Called at Tristan on numerous occasions between 1948 and 1953. MV PEQUENA was a wooden-hulled minesweeper converted for crawfishing, built in Nova Scotia and 184 gross tons, she was a surprisingly small ship for the long trip between Cape Town and Tristan da Cunha. In 1948 the crawfish industry sponsored by the wartime padre Reverend Lawrence was becoming established and this vessel was used for the survey and later for handling the catches and transport to South Africa. Mail in and off the island were transported by it and during the survey illustrated envelopes were produced which are now highly collectable. Mail today can be found from most of its sailings.
We acknowledge with thanks the help and assistance of Robin Taylor and Ray Lloyd.
Source: Tristan da Cunha press release.
The PEQUENA was built as a wooden hulled minesweeper by Clare Shipbuilders Co. Meteghan Nova Scotia, Canada for the Royal Navy.
30 January 1942 ordered.
17 August 1942 launched.
Displacement 225 tons, dim.36.0 x 7.0 x 2.90m. (draught), length bpp 32.0m.
Powered by one Fairbank-Morse diesel engine 375hp, one shaft, speed maximum 12 knots.
Armament: 2 – 20mm AA guns and 2 0.5 inch MG.
Crew 20
05 May 1943 commissioned in Royal Navy as MMS 242 (pennant J742).
The MMS (1) class were a class of 312 coastal minesweepers built for the Royal Navy between 1940 and 1945. They were of wooden construction to counteract magnetic mines.
The coastal minesweepers had pennant numbers MMS1 to MMS312 and MMS1001 to MMS1090. They were nicknamed ‘Mickey Mouse’.
Although the Motor Minesweepers lacked the power to tow sweeps for contact mines they were suitable for handling equipment for combating magnetic mines and some later models were fitted with an acoustic hammer on a retractable "A" frame over the bows for countering acoustic mines.
The Motor Minesweepers had limited use post-war so they were quickly disposed of. Three were transferred by Lend-Lease to the Soviet Navy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMS-class_minesweeper
27 November 1946 the MMS 242 was sold to? renamed JERO (GBR flag, reg. London, ON 181523) for Middle East service.
194? Sold to ? renamed PEQUENA (reg. Cape Town?)
From 1948 till 1952 used in the transport of crawfish and mail between Tristan da Cunha and Cape Town.
One her first return voyage from Tristan da Cunha she lost her rudder in a position about 600 miles from Cape Town and was towed by HMSAS TRANSVAAL (K602) from 05 February 1949 till 09 February to Cape Town.
1953 British registry closed.
Fate unknown.
Source: Mr. David Asprey and Mr Adi Carmichael http://www.shipbuildinghistory.com/hist ... ewwtwo.htm http://uboat-net
Tristan da Cunha 2015 £5 sg?, scott? (Tho photo is of one of the class of minesweepers.)