HMS Newbury was a Racecourse-class (also known as Ascot-class) minesweeper constructed for the British Royal Navy in 1916 by A. & J. Inglis at their Pointhouse shipyard in Glasgow. As a paddle-steamer designed for operations in shallow coastal waters, Newbury measured approximately 245 feet 9 inches (74.90 meters) in overall length, with a beam of 29 feet (8.84 meters) and a draught of only 7 feet (2.13 meters). Her displacement was around 810 long tons (820 metric tons). She was powered by an inclined two-cylinder compound steam engine, fed by cylindrical boilers, which drove her paddle wheels and allowed a top speed of approximately 14.5 knots (16.7 mph). Her armament comprised two six-pounder (57mm) guns and two 2-pounder (40mm) anti-aircraft autocannons, and she carried a crew of about 50 officers and men. Laid down as Yard number 313, Newbury was launched on 3 July 1916 and completed by 9 September 1916, entering service during the ongoing First World War. During her wartime service, HMS Newbury was assigned to the Auxiliary Patrol, tasked with mine clearance and coastal operations. Notably, on the night of 14/15 February 1918, while in the Dover Strait, she was the first British ship attacked by German destroyers during a sortie against the Dover Barrage. The Germans set Newbury ablaze with gunfire, causing significant damage and the loss of twelve crew members. She was subsequently towed back to port by her sister ship, Lingfield, after the attack that also resulted in the sinking of seven drifters and one trawler. Following the war, HMS Newbury continued her mine clearance duties until she was sold for scrap in March 1922 to Ward at Inverkeithing. Her service history underscores her role in coastal defense and mine clearance operations during a critical period in maritime warfare, exemplifying the significance of paddle-steamer minesweepers in WWI naval strategy.

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