ALBACORE
HMS Albacore and ‘Warship Week’
During the Second World War ‘Warship Week’ was organised in cities and towns throughout Britain to raise funds for the building of new warships. In February 1942 the people of Ashford staged a successful week of fundraising. Vice-Admiral J.E.T. Harper declared Ashford’s week of fundraising open with a procession through the town by units of the Navy, Army and Air Force, as well as the Women’s Services and Civil Defence. Ashford’s fundraising activities included a talent contest, cookery demonstration, variety show, auction, exhibition, dinner, military dance band contest and concert. In total, Ashford’s Warship Week raised £10,100 and the town subsequently adopted their chosen warship, HMS Albacore, an Algerine-Class Minesweeper on 16 June 1942.
Later that month the Ashford Sea Cadet Corps was established and affiliated to HMS Albacore. HMS Albacore was part of the 12th minesweeping flotilla based in the Mediterranean. During operations, and despite being under constant bombardment, HMS Albacore patrolled the seas north of Africa sweeping mines and clearing the waters to enable the Allied invasions of North Africa, Sicily and Italy. In 1943 HMS Albacore, with the rest of her flotilla, cleared a total of 770 mines off the Italian coast.
ALBACORE
After the war, in October 1947, HMS Albacore was reduced to Reserve status at Chatham and later in 1962 was placed on the Disposal List before being sold and broken-up in 1963.
S Albacore, The crew of HM Im age courtesy Naples 1945. rough Museum. of Ashford Bo
A plaque - “Presented by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to East Ashford Rural District to commemorate the adoption of HMS Albacore during Warship Week February 28th 1942” sits proudly on display at Ashford Museum - along with the HMS Albacore crest and a dress uniform worn by one of her commanding officers, telling the story of one of the borough’s finest, but lesser known moments in history.
HMS Albacore underway from the builders. © IW M
HMS Albacore Fact File Class: Algerine-Class Minesweepe
r
Built by: Harland and Wolff Ltd
(Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Ordered: 15 November 1940 Launched: 2 April 1942 Completed: 16 June 1942 Length: 225ft Width: 35ft 6ins Speed: 16.5 knots Crew: 8-10 Officers & 110-115 Ratin
gs
Weapons: 1 Single 4 inch gun,
4 single Oerlikons (20 mm), 4 Depth Charge Throwers
Commander:
On board HMS Albacore. On the bridge, le Signalman S L ft to right: Kirby of East bourne; Yeoman M G Thorpe of of Signals Bexhill; Lieu t Cdr K H Higs of Highcliffe, on, DSC RNR Hants; Sub Li eut A J Thurgo Guildford; an od, RNVR, of d Signalman J V Culvin of Lo ndon. A 30182 © IWM.
Lt. Cdr. John David Lewis William s, RN 1 May 1942 – 9 Apr 1943 Lt. Kenneth Horder Higson, RNR 9 Apr 1943 – Aug 1945 Lt. Gordon Ronald Paterson, RN Aug 1945 – 11 Jun 1946
Battle Honours:
s uniform ng Officer’ di n a m m o C re Museu m. H MS Albaco at Ashford ay l p s di on gh Museu m. and crest ford Borou h s A of sy te Im age cour
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North Africa 1942-43, Sicily 1943, Salerno 1943, Anzio, 1944
TS Churchill, Ashford Sea & Royal Marines Cadets The 1854 Crimean War created many orphans living on the back streets of England’s sea ports. On returning home from the conflict, a Whitstable clergyman established an orphanage and recruited sailors to pass on nautical skills giving these young, desolate children a future. Similar institutions were soon established in Whitby, Brixham and Deptford.
almost 400 units and 50,000 cadets.
In 1856 The Sea Cadet Corps was established as the Naval Lads Brigade with brigades springing up across the country. In 1910 the brigades were sponsored by The Navy League, an organisation dedicated to supporting the Royal Navy and influencing maritime thinking in Parliament.
Since then Ashford Sea Cadets has also been affiliated to two other Royal Navy warships; in the 1960s HMS Pellew, a Blackwoodclass frigate and during the 1970s HMS Churchill a nuclear hunterkiller submarine.
By 1919 the Admiralty of the Royal Navy officially recognised the brigades and changed their name to the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 there were almost 100 sea cadet units training more than 10,000 cadets in seafaring skills. During the Second World War many more sea cadet units were formed and affiliated to the Royal Navy warships adopted by towns, cities and villages during ‘Warship Week’. As a result the Corps swelled to
The citizens of Ashford adopted HMS Albacore during their Warship Week on 28 February 1942 and subsequently the Ashford unit of the Sea Cadet Corps was officially founded on 2 June 1942. Ashford Sea Cadets took the name ‘TS Albacore’ after being affiliated to Ashford’s adopted warship HMS Albacore.
TS Churchill, Ashford Sea & Royal Marines Cadets has come a long way since its foundation. In the early years, the main purpose of the Sea Cadet Corps was to train youngsters to become future sailors and prepare them for war. While today cadets follow the customs and traditions of the Royal Navy, the main purpose of the Corps is to equip young people with essential life skills, self- confidence and responsibility, helping them to become good citizens and giving them the opportunity of a better future.
dets in Ashford Sea Ca , 1943. Victoria Park of TS Im age courtesy or hf d Sea Churchill, As s Cadets. & Royal Marine
Ashford S ea Cadets inspected the Archb ishop of by Canterbur Im age cou y. rtesy of Ja mes Haz eldon.
a nd a Cadets B Ashford Se ough, n Willesbor parading i of ge courtesy 1950s. Im a Dick Ty m.
Ashford Se a Cadet Ba nd, 1956. Image cour tesy of Coli n Reynolds.
TS Churchil l, Ashford Sea & Royal Mari nes Cadets, 2020.
urtesy ll. Image co HMS Churchi RMR. ) J. Lewis of Cpt (SCC
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