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HMS Sword Dance (T132) was a Dance-class naval trawler built by Henry Robb Ltd in Leith.[1] She was laid down on 2 March 1940, and launched from the yard on 3 September 1940. She was commissioned into H.M. Forces on 20th of January 1941. It was considered to be part of “The Little Ship Navy” and carried out minesweeping and anti-submarine duties. It is similar to Tree-class trawlers and Isles-class trawlers.[2][1][3][4][5]
Sword Dance had a overall length of 150 feet (46Â m) or 164Â ft (50Â m), a beam of 27Â ft 6Â in (8.38Â m) or 27Â ft 8Â in (8.43Â m) with a draught of 14Â ft 6Â in (4.42Â m) or 11Â ft 1Â in (3.38Â m). She had a complement of 35 or 40 officers and ratings and her coal-fired reciprocating engine had one shaft producing 850 indicated horsepower (630Â kW). Her single propeller gave her a speed of 11.5 knots (21.3Â km/h; 13.2Â mph) or 12 knots (22Â km/h; 14Â mph). She was equipped with one 4-inch (102Â mm) gun and three 20-millimetre (0.79Â in) anti-aircraft guns. Her displacement was 530 tons or 545 tons.[6][7][8]
During the early hours of 5 July 1942, whilst acting as escort to the East coast convoy WN 5, Sword Dance was rammed in dense fog by one of merchant ships of the convoy, Thyra-II.[2] The starboard coalbunker was holed in, the engine room rapidly flooded, and Sword Dance sank in less than an hour. The ship was in Moray Firth when she sank.[2][5]
