ET3-2005 BRYTYJSKI STAWIACZ MIN HMS ABDIEL

HMS Abdiel (M39) was a British mine builder from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in 1939, and the launch took place in April 1940. The total length of the ship at the time of launching was 127.4 meters and a width of 12.2 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 4,000 tons, and the maximum speed was approx. 40 knots. The armament included 6 102 mm guns in three twin turrets, 4 40 mm cannons and up to 156 naval mines. HMS Abdiel she was one of the mine-makers of the same name, Abdiel. The ships of this type were designed as very fast and well-armed units, designed to build mine barriers in enemy-controlled waters. They were ordered just before the outbreak of World War II. HMS Abdiel went through a relatively short but turbulent combat trail. Shortly after entering service, she was directed to the waters of the Bay of Biscay, and from April 1941 she operated in the Mediterranean, participating, inter alia, in the withdrawal of British troops from Crete and - later - operating in the region of Libya. From December 1942 until April 1943, HMS Abdiel served in the waters of the Sicilian Strait as a minehunter. The unit, paradoxically, sank as a result of landing on a mine in the port of Taranto on September 10, 1943.