HMS Vestal was a turbine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper built for the Royal Navy, launched in 1943. The vessel measured 225 feet (68.6 meters) in length overall, with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 meters) and a draught of 11 feet (3.4 meters). Displacing 850 long tons (860 tons) at standard load and 1,125 long tons (1,143 tons) at deep load, she was powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving a shaft, with steam supplied by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. These engines produced 2,000 shaft horsepower, enabling a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h). The ship carried a fuel oil capacity of 660 long tons (671 tons), giving her a range of 5,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. Armament on HMS Vestal included a QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, with later modifications replacing some twin mounts with single Bofors 40 mm guns. She was also equipped with four throwers and two rails for depth charges, suitable for minesweeping and escort duties. Constructed at Harland and Wolff in Belfast, she was laid down on 11 January 1943, launched on 19 June 1943, and commissioned on 10 September 1943, completing her build in just over seven months. Vestal participated in various operations, including minesweeping exercises around Harwich and the Scheldt estuary, as part of a flotilla that included other Algerine-class ships. Her service in the Pacific involved operations with the East Indies Fleet. Notably, on 24 July 1945, after the loss of HMS Squirrel to a mine, Vestal rescued survivors and assisted in the aftermath. Tragically, she was critically damaged and sunk by a Japanese kamikaze attack on 26 July 1945 during Operation Livery near Phuket, Thailand. The attack resulted in the deaths of twenty crew members, and she was the last Royal Navy ship to be lost in WWII. The vessel was subsequently scuttled by the destroyer HMS Racehorse, and her wreck lies at a depth of 72 meters off Phuket.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.