350-002 HMS QUEEN OF THANET 1942 R.

HMS Queen of Thanet (also known as HMS Melton) was a British minesweeper from the interwar period and both world wars. The unit was launched in 1916 and entered service with the Royal Navy shortly after. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 72 meters and a width of 8.8 meters. The displacement reached approx. 820 tons and the maximum speed was approx. 15 knots. The deck armament consisted of two 76.2 mm QF 12-pounder QF cannons. HMS Melton was one of the type's minesweepers Racecourse. Units of this type were built under the so-called Emergency War Program, as low-cost as possible to produce and operate coastal minesweepers dedicated to service especially in waters directly surrounding the British Isles. Interestingly, they use paddle wheels to simplify the production technology and reduce its costs. HMS Melton was built in a shipyard William Hamilton and Company in Glasgow and took part in the First World War. In 1929, it was sold to a civilian shipowner who changed the name of the vessel from HMS Melton on Queen of Thanet. However, in 1939 the Royal Navy commandeered the ship - keeping the new name and assigning the side number J30. HMS Queen of Thanet took an active part in Operation Dynamo, i.e. in the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk at the turn of May and June 1940. It is assumed that she saved about 4,000 people from death or captivity. HMS Queen of Thanet took a very indirect part in Operation Overlord in June 1944. After the end of World War II (in 1946), the unit returned to its civil owner.