HMS Trusty-Star

They say it is unlucky to change the name of a boat, and with three different name swaps, HMD Trusty Star’s odds didn’t look too good from the start. Built in 1919 by Ouse Shipbuilding for the British Royal Navy, the naval drifter was originally named HMT Groundswell. The steel vessel was about 26m in length with a beam of 5m and had a triple expansion steam engine. Renamed FV Elie Ness when used in the fishing industry in Scotland, the drifter was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1939. Converted into a minesweeper, the vessel came to be known as HMS Trusty Star. On the night of 15-16 February 1941, the Luftwaffe dropped magnetic and acoustic mines by parachute in the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett harbour. On 9 April 1941, the Trusty Star was fitted with the proper equipment for sweeping magnetic mines, including an LL cable towed behind the ship and supplied with electrical pulses. The drifter had great success keeping the harbour open despite heavy mine-laying operations b