HMS Atherstone was a Racecourse-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy, constructed by Ailsa Shipbuilding Company in Troon, Scotland. Launched on 14 April 1916, she was one of 32 paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops designed for wartime service. During World War I, she served primarily with the Auxiliary Patrol, performing minesweeping duties in support of naval operations. Following the war, she was transferred to the Mine Clearance Service, contributing to post-war efforts to clear maritime mines. In 1927, HMS Atherstone was sold to The New Medway Steam Packet Company and converted for civilian excursion work on the Medway and Thames rivers. Renamed Queen of Kent, she operated from Sheerness and Southend for twelve years, offering regular trips to destinations such as Gravesend, Margate, Clacton, and Dover, as well as cross-channel voyages to Calais, Boulogne, and Dunkirk. Requisitioned again by the Admiralty in September 1939 at the onset of World War II, she was commissioned as HMS Queen of Kent (Pennant number J74) and resumed minesweeping duties. During the war, she played a notable role in Operation Overlord, stationed at Peel Bank off the Isle of Wight as a Mulberry Accommodation & Despatch Control Ship. In August 1944, she was converted into an anti-aircraft vessel, fitted with nine 20mm Oerlikon guns. Her wartime service included deployment to Antwerp in December 1944, where she helped protect the city and its docks from Luftwaffe attacks and V1 and V2 rockets. On 28 February 1945, she was struck by shrapnel from a V2 rocket while moored on the River Scheldt, resulting in the deaths of eleven crew members. After suffering damage and being rendered non-operational, she returned to the UK for repairs. Post-war, she resumed civilian service in 1946, returning to her owners to operate excursions along the Thames Estuary. Sold in 1949 to Red Funnel, she was refitted and renamed Lorna Doone, continuing to run summer excursions from Bournemouth until her final withdrawal in 1952. She was subsequently scrapped at Dover, marking the end of her distinguished maritime career.

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