HMS Locust (T28)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Locust.

HMS Locust, 25 February 1942
Career (United Kingdom)
Name:	HMS Locust
Ordered:	20 June 1938
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd., Scotstoun, Scotland
Laid down:	29 November 1938
Launched:	28 September 1939
Commissioned:	17 May 1940
Decommissioned:	May 1946
Reclassified:	Royal Naval Reserve drill ship in 1951
Fate:	Scrapped in 1968
General characteristics
Class and type:	Locust-class gunboat
Displacement:	585 tons
Length:	197 ft (60 m)
Beam:	33 ft (10 m)
Draught:	5 ft (1.5 m)
Propulsion:	2 x Parsons geared turbines 3,800 s.h.p. 2 x 78 inch, 3 bladed propellers 3 x rudders
Speed:	17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) (max)
Range:	90 tons of fuel
Complement:	74
Armament:	Upper platform: 1 x BR 0.5 inch quad barrel machine gun (1939-1946) 2 x Orelikon 20mm Mk VIIIA machine gun (from 1946) Battery deck: 1 x BR 4 inch QF Mk V gun (1939-1946) 1 x 25 pdr gun (from 1946) 1 x 3.5 inch Howitzer (1939-1941) 1 x 2 pdr 4 barrel pom-pom (from 1941) 2 x 2 inch deck-mounted mortars Main Deck: 1 x BR 4 inch QF Mk V gun (from 1939) 1 x 0.5 inch quad barrel machine gun (1939-1946) 1 x Orelikon Mk VIIA machine gun (from 1946)

HMS Locust was a river gunboat of the Royal Navy, one of the Locust class of four gunboats, named after the locust, an insect.

Launched on 28 September 1939 and commissioned on 17 May 1940, she survived the Second World War despite being severely damaged multiple times, including taking a shell hit in Operation Overlord.

She was placed in reserve from 1946 until 1951 when she was converted to a drill ship for the Royal Naval Reserve and used for training. In 1968 she was finally decommissioned and sent to the breakers.

References

Dates taken from research by P.A. Jenkins[1]

External links

• History and specifications