HMS_Whimbrel_(U29)
HMS Whimbrel (U29)
Sloop of the Royal Navy
31.1917661°N 29.8611456°E / 31.1917661; 29.8611456
Whimbrel during World War II | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Whimbrel |
| Builder | Yarrow Shipbuilders |
| Laid down | 31 October 1941 |
| Launched | 25 August 1942 |
| Commissioned | 13 January 1943 |
| Identification | Pennant number U29 |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Sold to Egypt, November 1949 |
 Egypt | |
| Name | El Malek Farouq |
| Acquired | November 1949 |
| Renamed | Tariq 1954 |
| Status | Laid up as training ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Black Swan-class sloop |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 299 ft 6 in (91.29 m) |
| Beam |
|
| Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 7,500 nmi (13,900 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
HMS Whimbrel is the last surviving Royal Navy warship to have been present at the Surrender of Japan in World War II. She was a sloop of the Black Swan-class, laid down on 31 October 1941 to the pennant number of U29 at the famed yards of Yarrow Shipbuilders, Scotstoun, Glasgow.
Launched on 25 August 1942 almost nine months after laying down which was about average for this class of vessel. She was commissioned on 13 January 1943 and was to primarily serve in the Atlantic as part of several escort groups. In 1945 she was sent to the Pacific for the last few months in war being part of the large exodus of ships there. She was present at the Japanese surrender.[1]
In November 1949 she was sold to Egypt and renamed El Malek Farouq. In 1954 she was renamed Tariq.[2]
A preservation attempt launched in 2006[3] aimed to bring her to Canning Dock Liverpool as a memorial to those who died on the Atlantic Convoys. On 26 March 2008 a plaque celebrating the ship was presented to the Mayor of Sefton. John Livingston, president of the Liverpool branch of the Whimbrel Project, said: "She’d be a marvellous addition to our waterfront and a reminder of the sacrifice of our seamen". The Mayor of Sefton, Cllr Richard Hands, said: "HMS Whimbrel forms a unique part of both our social and maritime history and I fully support the campaign to bring her back to Liverpool".[4] The attempt stalled when it was not possible to agree a price with the Egyptian Government. Then, in 2016, it was reported in Parliament that the Egyptian Navy had offered her for sale to the National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth for £725,000, and that the museum had shown an interest in housing HMS Whimbrel and is investigating the possibility of bringing it back to the UK.[5]
She currently is laid up at Alexandria as a training ship.[6]
- "HMS Whimbrel (U29)". uboat.net. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- Blackman, Raymond V B, Jane's Fighting Ships 1963–4, Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, London, p. 71
- "House of Commons Debate 15/12/16: HMS President and Historic Warships". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- "ex-HMS WHIMBREL". Ships Nostalgia. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Hague, Arnold (1993). Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946. Kendal, England: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-67-3.
