Belgian ship A4
Belgian naval trawler / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Patrol vessel A4 (French: Patrouilleur A4) was a small Mersey-class trawler operated by Belgium during the Second World War. Originally built for the British Royal Navy, as HMS John Ebbs, the ship is notable for its role in evacuating Belgian gold reserves to England during the Battle of Belgium in May 1940. The success of the operation not only allowed the Belgian government in exile to fund its operations but deprived the German occupiers of an important asset to support their war effort. After the Belgian surrender, the vessel and its crew interned themselves in neutral Spain. Both crew and vessel were released in 1946 and A4 was scrapped soon afterwards.
Sister ship George Bligh | |
History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | John Ebbs |
Ordered | 1916 |
Builder | Cochranes, Selby |
Launched | 2 October 1917 |
Out of service | 1920 |
Fate | Sold to Belgium |
Belgium | |
Name |
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Acquired | 1920 |
Decommissioned | 1946 |
Fate | Scrapped in Spain, 1948 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Mersey-class Trawler |
Displacement | 339 tonnes (334 long tons; 374 short tons) |
Length | 45 metres (148 ft) |
Draught | 4.5 metres (15 ft) |
Installed power | 600 horsepower (450 kW) |
Speed | 9 to 10 knots (17 to 19 km/h; 10 to 12 mph) |
General characteristics Royal Navy | |
Armament |
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General characteristics Belgian Navy | |
Complement | 27 |
Armament |
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