Washington Warship

Members of Washington History Society were recently informed  of the existence of a plaque, found in the storeroom of Washington Town Centre  Library, which commemorated the adoption of a Warship by the residents of  Washington. The plaque, which features the Washington Coat of Arms, reads :-  "To commemorate the adoption of HMS Sarabande by the citizens of the Urban  District of Washington. Warship Week March 1942
              
Further research by members of the History Society  revealed that between 1941 and 1942 the  government introduced the concept of National Savings, with each region of the  country being given a monetary target to be achieved, based on the region's  population. This initiative later became known as Warship Week, with the aim of  funding the building and supporting Royal Navy ships. Large towns and cities  would adopt Battleships and Aircraft Carriers, while smaller towns and villages  would focus on smaller ships such as Destroyers or Armed Trawlers. Once the  money had been raised, the community would adopt the crew. Local churches,  charity organisations and schools would provide the crews with gloves, woollen  socks and balaclavas. School children would be invited to write or send  postcards to the ship and crew members would sometimes be invited to visit  their sponsor town or village. In the case of Washington it was thought that  funding an Armed Trawler would be most appropriate.  

In fact the ship chosen to be supported, Her Majesty's  Trawler Sarabande, had already been built. The vessel was a member of the 550  ton Dance class of armed trawlers (Sarabande was a Spanish dance first  mentioned in the 1500s)  which were used  for mine -sweeping, patrol and anti-submarine duties. Sarabande was built by  A & J  Inglis Ltd of Glasgow in 1940.  It was 150 feet in length and had a complement of 40 men. It carried  one 1-4 inch gun, 3-20mm anti-aircraft guns  and 30 depth charges.

Bill Barker, a member of Washington History Society was  attending Usworth Colliery School  in  Washington in 1942, and remembers that pupils were  asked to collect scrap metal such as old pots  and pans which could be sold, and the money used for the warship collection.  The Warship Week in Washington raised £57,000 and nationally the press  announced that 8 Battleships, 4 Carriers, 49 Cruisers, 301 Destroyers, 25 Submarines,  164 Corvettes and Frigates, and 288 Minesweepers had been supported. It is  perhaps  worth mentioning that during the  same Warship Week, Sunderland adopted HMS Delhi, a D Class Light Cruiser.;  Houghton- Le Spring adopted HMS Welland, an anti-submarine Trawler; and Chester  Le Street adopted HMS Ruby, also an anti-submarine Trawler.

Not all of HMT  Sarabande's war service is recorded, but records do show that in January 1943  she was near the coast of West Africa, operating from Lagos and off Accra,  escorting merchant ships, and screening them from enemy attack. After the War,  all of the Royal Navy's Armed Trawlers were de-commissioned during 1946, and  the Sarabande was sold for commercial purposes. Over the years she changed  hands several times, and her new names included Volen, Betty and Monteponi. She  was finally scrapped in Italy in 1968.

Washington History Society would like to hear from readers  who have any further information about the activities of HMT Sarabande, and  anyone who remembers taking part in collecting for the ship, or who met or  wrote to members of her crew. We can be contacted through our website or through Ernie Guy, one of our members, who is researching the wartime  history of the Sarabande.