HMS Adventure (M23)

Adventure in February 1943
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Adventure
Ordered:	18 July 1921
Builder:	Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness & Devonport Royal Dockyard
Laid down:	29 November 1922
Launched:	18 June 1924
Commissioned:	2 October 1926
Reclassified:	Repair ship 1944
Fate:	Sold for scrapping, 1947
General characteristics
Type:	Minelaying cruiser
Displacement:	6,740 long tons (6,850 t) (standard) 8,370 long tons (8,500 t) (full load)
Length:	500 ft (152.4 m) p/p 539 ft (164.3 m) o/a
Beam:	59 ft (18.0 m) over bulges
Draught:	14 ft 6 in (4.42 m), 17 ft 3 in (5.26 m) full load
Installed power:	40,000 shp (30,000 kW) (steam turbines) 9,200 hp (6,900 kW) (diesel engines) 6,600 kW (alternators) 8,000 hp (6,000 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion:	6 × Yarrow water-tube boilers, Parsons single reduction geared steam turbines 4 × Vickers 8-cylinder diesel engines with 2 × alternators 2 × electric motors 2 × shafts
Speed:	27.75 knots (51.39 km/h; 31.93 mph) on steam turbines 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) on diesels
Range:	4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) 1,820 nmi (3,370 km; 2,090 mi) at 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Complement:	395 (560 wartime)
Armament:	4 × QF 4.7-in Mark VIII on single mounting HA Mark XII, 4 × QF 2-pounder Mk.II on single mounts HA Mk.II, later; 8 × QF 2-pounder Mk.VIII on octuple mount HA Mk.VIII, 8 × .5 in (13 mm) Vickers machine guns on quadruple mounts Mk.I, later; 9 × 20 mm Oerlikon guns on single mounts P Mk.III, 280 (large pattern) - 340 (small pattern) mines

HMS Adventure, pennant number M23, was a minelaying cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the 1920s that saw service during the Second World War. Her commander between 1928 and 1929 was the future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham.

Laid down at Devonport in November 1922 and launched in June 1924, Adventure was the first vessel built for service as a minelayer, she was also the first warship to use diesel engines, being used for cruising.

On entering the service she joined the Atlantic Fleet. From 1931-1932, she underwent a refit. During this refit she received a rounded stern in place of the original square one.

In the early months of the Second World War, she was damaged in the Thames Estuary and was repaired at Sheerness.

In 1940, she laid minefields in the Orkney Islands and St. George's Channel and in 1941 was damaged by a mine while off Liverpool.

In 1944, she was converted to a landing craft repair and accommodation ship; in 1945 was reduced to reserve; and in 1947 was sold to Thos W Ward. and broken up at Briton Ferry.

Adventure was adopted by the City of Plymouth.

Adventure was built to replace the converted First World War veteran Princess Margaret, and her design was dictated by a requirement for a large mine capacity and a good cruising range. The mineload was to be carried completely internally, dictating a long, tall hull, and there were four sets of rails running the length of the hull to chutes at the stern. She was built with a transom, or flat, stern, to improve cruising efficiency, but the dead water caused by such a form meant that mines tended to be sucked back into the hull when they were launched; an obviously dangerous situation for a minelayer. As a result, she was rebuilt with a traditional cruiser, or rounded, stern, increasing the length by 19 ft (5.8 m).

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