HMS Plover
Eleven ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Plover, after the species of bird, the Plover:
HMS Plover (M26)
HMS Plover was a coastal minelayer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. She laid over 15,000 mines during World War II and remained on active duty until she was sold for scrap in 1969.
Description
Plover displaced 805 long tons (818 t) at standard load and 1,020 long tons (1,040 t) at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 195 feet (59.4 m), a beam of 33 feet 9 inches (10.3 m) and a draught of 10 feet (3.0 m). She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, driving two shafts, which developed a total of 1,400 indicated horsepower (1,000 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 14.75 knots (27.32 km/h; 16.97 mph). Steam for the engines was provided by two water-tube boilers. Plover carried a maximum of 116 long tons (118 t) of fuel oil. The ship's complement was 69 officers and men.
The ship initially mounted two 0.303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns, but after war broke out a single 12-pounder (3 in (76.2 mm)) gun was added aft as well as a 20-millimetre (0.8 in) Oerlikon autocannon forward. Plover was initially fitted with mine recovery gear, but her mine capacity increased from 80 to 100 after it was removed when World War II began. Sometime during the war she received a Type 286 air warning radar.
BRP Apolinario Mabini (PS-36)
The BRP Apolinario Mabini is one of the three Jacinto-class corvettes, and are considered as one of the most modern ships in the Philippine Navy. She was originally called HMS Plover during her service with the Royal Navy. Named after Apolinario Mabini, a hero of the Philippine revolution and a former prime minister, she is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet.
History
Launched as the second of five patrol vessels of the Peacock class, she was originally part of the Hong Kong Squadron of the Royal Navy. The ships were built by Hall, Russell & Company in the United Kingdom and were commissioned into Royal Navy service from 1983 to 1984. The class was designed specifically for patrol duties in Hong Kong waters. As well as ‘flying the flag’ and providing a constant naval presence in region, they could undertake a number of different roles including seamanship, navigation and gunnery training and search-and-rescue duties for which they had facilities to carry divers (including a decompression chamber) and equipment to recover vessels and aircraft. They also worked with the Marine Department of the Hong Kong Police and with Customs & Excise in order to prevent the constant flow of illegal immigrants, narcotics and electronic equipment into the colony.
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