HMS Scalpay (T 237)

Comprehensive information about the Isles class trawlers and other classes is on Wikipedia

The Isles class armed trawlers were a class of naval trawler ordered specifically by the Admiralty from Britain's then numerous small shipbuilding yards,
and used by the Royal Navy (134 vessels), Royal Canadian Navy (7 vessels) and Royal New Zealand Navy (4 vessels) during World War II.

These armed trawlers were built between 1939 and 1945 in the very similar Tree, Dance, Shakespearian (12 vessels) and Isles classes.
The first of these, the Tree class (20 vessels), began to be commissioned into the Royal Navy from as early as December 1939.
The Tree-class spawned the similar Dance, Shakespearean (12 vessels) and Isles class (145 vessels),
with production continuing through to the end of hostilities.

These vessels were intended for use as mine-sweepers and harbour defence, and for anti-submarine warfare.
Most were armed with one 12-pounder AA gun (76 mm) and three 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns, and with 30 depth charges.

Postwar, 17 of the trawlers were disarmed and became wreck disposal vessels:
Bardsey (DV13), Bern (DV4), Caldy (DV5), Coll (DV6), Earraid (DV7), Fetlar (DV8), Flatholm (DV9), Graemsay (DV10), Lindisfarne (DV11), Lundy (DV12), Neave (DV14),
Scalpay (DV15), Skomer (DV16), Steepholm (DV17), Switha (DV18), Tiree (DV19), and Trondra (DV20).

By 1949 there remained in service of this type 31 trawlers and four controlled minelayers in the Royal Navy, one controlled minelayer in the Royal Canadian Navy, and four trawlers in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
An additional 6 were is service in the Portuguese Navy, and 16 in service in the Italian Navy from 1946 until they were decommissioned in 1965.
Scalpay is not one of those, as listed in Wikipedia.
Most of the surviving Royal Navy examples were discarded in the 1950s, but a few remained until the 1960s.

Isles class trawlers in British service are often referred to as Basset class, as they were developed from the Admiralty's 460-ton trawler HMS Basset, built in 1935,
that had a passing resemblance to the Flower-class corvettes, with the ships bridge amidships, the mast ahead of it and a long forecastle.
The Basset became the prototype for nearly 250 military trawlers purpose-built in the following ten years.
The Royal Navy used specialist mercantile shipyards to make ships for war use by adapting commercial designs to Admiralty specifications.
Around 100 of the 250 were built in Beverley, Yorkshire, by Cook, Welton and Gemmell, an extraordinary achievement for a relatively small yard some distance from the sea.

Most of these trawlers were disarmed and decommissioned after the ending of hostilities, then sold on as war surplus to new foreign or civilian owners,
where they would continue to see useful service for many years to come.

Jane's Fighting Ships of World War II lists only 47 Isles Class trawlers:- Skomer (DV16),

3 built by Ardrossan Dockyard Company (Ardrossan):-
Coll T 207 (DV 6) (7 April, 1942). After decommissioning, it was converted to an oil tank cleaning vessel for dockyard service in 1949-50.
Graemsay T 291 (DV 10) (3 August, 1942)
Gorregan T 387 (30 December, 1943)

1 built by George Brown & Company (Marine) Ltd. (Greenock):-
Damsay T 208 (27 June, 1942)

6 built by Cochrane & Sons, Ltd. (Selby):-
Fetlar T 202 (DV 8) (July, 1941)
Oronsay (30 October, 1943)
Hermetray T 392 (April, 1944) "has been sold"
Imersay ((August, 1944)
Orsay T 375 (January, 1945)
Rona (February, 1945)

17 built by Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, Yorkshire):-
Bern T 294 (DV 4) (2 May, 1942)
Scalpay T 237 (DV 15) (2 June, 1942)
Neave T 247 (DV 14) (16 July, 1942)
Lundy T 272 (DV 12) (29 August, 1942)
Annet T 341 (DV 2) (25 March, 1943)
Bryher T 350 (8 April, 1943)
Flatholm T 354 (DV 9) (8 May, 1943)
Lindisfarne T 361 (DV 11) (17 June, 1943)
Wiay (26 April, 1944)
Sandray (5 October, 1944)
Shillay (18 Novermber, 1944)
Sursay (16 December, 1944)
Tahay (31 December, 1944)
Tocogay (7 February, 1945)
Trodday (3 March, 1945)
Vaceasay (17 March, 1945)
Vallay (10 April, 1945)

1 built by John Crown & Sons Ltd. (Sunderland):-
Earraid T 297 (DV 7) (ex Gruna) (18 December, 1941)

1 built by Fleming & Ferguson (Paisley):-
Bardsey T 273 (DV 13) (17 July, 1943)

1 built by Goole Shipbuilding & Repair Company (Goole):-
Tiree T 180 (DV 19) (6 September, 1941)

1 built by A. & J. Inglis (Glasgow):-
Switha T 179 (DV 18) (3 April, 1942). After decommissioning, it was converted to an oil tank cleaning vessel for dockyard service in 1949-50.

5 built by John Lewis & Sons (Aberdeen):-
Trondra T 181 (DV 20) (4 October, 1941)
Caldy T 359 (DV 5)
Foulness T 342 (23 March, 1942)
Skomer T 381 (17 June, 1943)
Steepholm T 356 (DV 17) (15 July, 1943)

1 built by Henry Robb Ltd. (Leith):-
Skye T 163 (17 March, 1942)

1 built in Canada:-
Gateshead T 288

and 9 Others, that were lost during the war:-
Campobello
Canna
Flotta
Gairsay
Ganilly
Orfasy
Rysa
Stronsay
Wallasea

Other Classes were:-

2 Basset Class:-
Bassett T 68 Mastiff - sunk by a mine during the war

8 Tree Class:-
Olive T 126
Walnut T103

Dance Class:-
a 4-inch AA gun (102 mm) was fitted in place of the 12-pounder.

6 Shakespearian Class>:-
Hamlet (4 July, 1940, built by Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, Yorkshire))
Macbeth (3 October, 1940, built by Goole S.B. & R, Co.)
Coriolanus (built by Cochrane) - lost in the war
Horatio (built by Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, Yorkshire)) - lost in the war
Laertes (built by Cook, Welton & Gemmill (Beverley, Yorkshire)) - lost in the war
Othello (built by Hall Rusell) - lost in the war

1 Round Table Class:-
Sir Tristam T 229

7 Holly Classand 3 other types - older ships purchased by the Admiralty between 1935 and 1939, built in the 1930s and before:-
Holly T 19
Lilac T 26
Syringa
Laurel
Alder - lost in the war
Beech - lost in the war
Myrtle - lost in the war
Vulcan
Excellent
Ouse - lost in the war

Four trawlers were given 'Bird' names when converted to controlled minelayers in 1943-44:
Blackbird (M15), Dabchick (M22), Stonechat (M25) and Whitethroat (M03).

At least five were employed as danlayers (laying and retrieving dan buoys during minesweeping operations):
Imersay (J422), Sandray (J424), Shillay (J426), Sursay (J427) and Tocogay (J451).

Length: 49.99 metres (164 feet)
Width: 8.38 metres (27 feet)
Draft: 3.2 metres (11 feet)
Displacement/maximum weight loaded: 545/735 tons. All Isles-class trawlers displaced between 545 and 560 tons.
Crew: 40 men (4 officers and 36 ratings).

Drive: engine by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull; 1874 to 1954.
One triple expansion reciprocating engine rated at 850 ihp, single shaft.

Power: 850 ihp
Speed: 12 knots

Armament:
one 12-pounder (76 mm) AA gun
three 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns
30 depth charges.

Commands listed for HMS Scalpay (T 237)

	Commander	From	To
1	T/Lt. James Edmund Neil Paterson, RNVR	30 Sep 1943	late 1944
2	T/S.Lt. William Holmes, RNVR	late 1944	23 Apr 1945
3	T/Lt. Peter Geoffrey Jeffery, RNVR	23 Apr 1945	late 1945

Important history:-

From Wikipedia et al:
In May 1944, the Royal Navy assigned HMS Watchman to escort convoys during Operation Neptune, the assault phase of the upcoming Allied invasion of Normandy scheduled for early June 1944.
She joined the trawlers HMS Ganilly (T 367) and HMS Scalpay (T 237) and the Royal Canadian Navy corvette HMCS Lindsay, to form Escort Group 138 for the operation.
In early June 1944, the group moved to Milford Haven, Wales, to meet Convoy ECB 3, which consisted of 11 coasters operating as stores ships, three empty motor tankers (MT ships), two armament stores carriers, and a water tanker.
The convoy's departure was delayed when the invasion was postponed from 5 to 6 June due to bad weather, on 6 June Convoy ECB 3 and its escorts got underway and proceeded to the Solent.

On 8 June, the third day of the invasion, the convoy proceeded to the invasion beaches, with HMS Watchman and the other escorts driving off an attack by German motor torpedo boats – S-boats, known to the Allies as "E-boats" – along the way.
After Convoy ECB 3 arrived off the beachhead, HMS Watchman detached on 11 June and returned to Milford Haven. On 13 June, she began escort duty in support of convoys carrying reinforcements and supplies to the beachhead, continuing until she was released from Operation Neptune later in June.

From A Royal Canadian Navy Historical Project:

Photos taken from HMCS Lindsay K338 on 8 June 1944: D-Day 6 Jun 1944

HMS Watchman, HMS Ganilly, and HMS Scalpay

HMS Ganilly (left) and HMS Scalpay (centre)

HMS Ganilly (T/Lt. Richard Beattie, RNVR), an Isle Class minesweeping trawler was torpedoed and sunk by U-390 off Utah Beach, Normandy.
3 Officers and 33 ratings were missing presumed killed, 1 officer and 3 ratings survived the sinking and were picked up by HMS Watchman.

For details of naval activities prior to and during Normandy assault landings read OPERATION NEPTUNE by K Edwards, LANDINGS IN NORMANDY June 1944 (HMSO) and D DAY SHIPS by J de Winser.

From the book Ferguson's Gang - The Maidens behind the Masks: from 1942 to 1943, Gregory Pollard served as an officer aboard HMS Scalpay which acted as an escort and minesweeper trawler; based at the shore establishment HMS Boscawen, Naval Police Patrol Headquarters, Portland, Dorset.

From Cecil Geoffrey Hewes ['Ces' Hewes] - Royal Navy Papers, in Mersea Museum.
16 April 1943 to 3 August 1943, served on HMS SCALPAY T237, an Isles Class minesweeping trawler, launched June 1942.

From Tom Topping
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003
Subject: HMT Kingston Andalusite & HMS Scalpay

Would like to get in touch with anyone out there who served on above (KA.1943/44 Scalpay 1944/46).
Where are you---Pete Thompson,Harry Booth ,Bill McGettrick?
From Tom Topping (Bunts).

Another photo:

---

History from 1948 to 1964:-

Purchased in xxxx (?) by Mario Antonio Esposito, then living in Monte di Procida, Naples, Italy. Capitaine and engineer, born 21 May, 1931 in Naples.

He operated MS Scalpay for merchant shipping until tragically it was sunk in 1964 off the coast of Sardinia.