HMS Owen (K640)

HMS Owen was a Bay-class frigate frigate built for the Royal Navy during World War 2.

Design and description
Owen was converted into a survey vessel while still under construction. She displaced 1600 LT at standard load and 2420 LT at deep load. The ship had an overall length of 307 ft, a beam of 38 ft and a draught of 12 ft. She was powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 5500 shp and gave a maximum speed of 20 kn. Owen carried a maximum of 580 LT of fuel oil that gave her a range of 10000 nmi at 10 kn. The ship's complement was 133 officers and ratings.

The survey ships were armed only with four 3-pounder saluting guns.

Construction and career
She was named for the explorer and naval officer William Fitzwilliam Owen. She was originally laid down as the Loch-class frigate vessel Loch Muick, and re-ordered as Thurso Bay while building. She was completed as Owen, modified for use as a survey vessel for dealing with the large numbers of uncharted wrecks and mines around the British Isles as a result of World War II. For this purpose she was fitted for minesweeping.