HMS Brinton

Ship: HMS BRINTON
Pennant No: M1114
Laid Down: 30th May 1951
Built by: Cook, Welton and Gemmell Ltd, Beverley. Yard Number 853
Completed: 4th March 1954
Time to Build: 34 Months
Commissioned: 9th March 1954 For 104th Minesweeping Squadron (MSS) based Harwich
Converted to Minehunter: June 1966 to September 1968
Years Fully Operational: 30

Outline of Operational Career:

• 14 May 1954 Joined 10th MSS at Harwich
• 29 Mar 1955 Transferred to 105th MSS based at Harwich
• Jul 1956 Paid Off at Hythe. Refit and reserve.
• 17 Apr 1963 Commissioned for service in Plymouth Command
• May 1966 Paid off for conversion to minehunter
• Oct 1968 Commissioned at Plymouth for 9th MSS
• 28 Jan-15 Apr 1969 Passage to Bahrain round Africa
• 2 Oct-10 Dec 1971 Passage to UK round Africa
• 15 Dec 1971 Joined Fishery Protection Squadron
• 18 Nov 1979 Transferred to 1st MCMS based Rosyth.
• 1 Jan 1984 Transferred to 3rd MCMS based Rosyth
• 26 Oct 1987 Loaned to Fishery Protection Squadron
• 25 Sep 1989 Reverted to 3rd MCMS
• 14 Apr 1991 Transferred to Fishery Protection Squadron
• 21 Sep 1993 Last Ton (with SHERATON) to leave Rosyth

Significant Events:

• 11-19 Dec 1974 Wreck survey of HMS VANGUARD in Scapa Flow. (Sunk 9th July 1917 following internal explosion.)
• 15 May 1976 BRINTON acquired ‘Banana’ emblem on bridge.
• 16 Aug- 13 Oct 1984 Took part in Operation HARLING – Mine Clearance inGulf of Suez based ay Adibaya, Egypt.

Paid Off: 5th October 1993
Disposal: Sold to Pounds of Portsmouth January 1998

I started a Shipwrights Apprenticeship at Devonport on 16th May 1966, going “afloat” from the training centre around 1968/69. I remember one of my first deployments was part of a team employed to convert HMS BRINTON's open bridge to enclosed bridge. One of the first I believe.

Terry Stephens