HMS Yarnton (M1196): Riding Out a Cyclone in the Persian Gulf

Built at Sunderland

HMS Yarnton was built by William Pickersgill and Sons in Sunderland, with construction spanning from October 1954 to January 1957, launched on 26 March 1956 and commissioning on 11 May 1957 for the 100th Minesweeping Squadron based at Portsmouth, a Ton-class minesweeper built for the steady work of coastal mine countermeasures.

Cyprus and NATO Operations

Yarnton's early service took her on a Cyprus patrol deployment in 1958 and into several NATO operations including Operation Clear Road, Operation Cable Way and Operation Ice Scott, as her squadron relocated to Port Edgar in 1959 and was renumbered the 2nd Minesweeping Squadron in 1962.

Weathering a Severe Cyclone

After a major refit at Chatham, Yarnton sailed to Bahrain in October 1966 to join the 9th Mine Countermeasures Squadron, and that November encountered a severe cyclone which lasted more than twenty hours and at one point passed the ship directly through its eye; two of her engine room crew, working for over three hours in the flooded bilges by torchlight while the ship listed ten degrees, were later given a Commander-in-Chief's Commendation for keeping her switchboard running, a dramatic episode that speaks to the real hazards these small ships faced far beyond the reach of any enemy.

Patrolling the Gulf and Converting to Hong Kong Service

Between 1967 and 1971, Yarnton conducted patrols and exercises throughout the Gulf and Indian Ocean, including operations near Aden, before the 9th Squadron's disbandment in 1971 saw her transfer to Hong Kong and convert to a patrol craft under the new pennant P1096, taking on a new role far from her original minesweeping duties.

Twenty-Six Years of Service

HMS Yarnton remained fully operational for twenty-six years, conducting patrols across Southeast Asia until being paid off on 12 November 1984, before finally being sold for scrap disposal in 1986, a particularly long and geographically wide-ranging career for a small coastal minesweeper.