HMS Oakham Castle Ship's Nameboard

We offer for sale a very fine original nameboard from HMS Oakham Castle, a 'Castle' class corvette from WWII. Launched on 20th July 1944, she carried pennant number K530 and was 225 ft long (69 m) with a displacement of 1,100 tons. On entering service she operated on anti U boat convoy escort duties in the North Atlantic. Post-war 'Oakham Castle' joined the 2nd Training Squadron, based at Portland, but was transferred to the Air Ministry in 1958 and converted into a weather ship and renamed 'Weather Reporter'. She served in the Atlantic, to collect weather forecast information and to provide a navigation beacon service for RAF aircraft. She was finally retired and then subsequently scrapped in 1977.

Fortunately both the 'Oakham Castle' nameboards were acquired by Royal Navy collector extraordinaire Tom Ferrers-Walker; one subsequently found its way into the Oakham County Museum, appropriately located in Oakham, the county town of Rutland, and also the home of the ship's namesake castle. The other has been in my personal collection for many years; the full story is told on our website home page so does not need to be repeated here.

Suffice to say, this is a one off opportunity to acquire a very fine historic item relating to a wartime vessel which has the rare, if not unique, distinction of serving with both the Royal Navy and the Air Ministry! It is of a substantial size, measuring 93" (236 cm) in length and 9.75" (25 cm) deep. The board itself is made from hardwood - the front is now waxed and polished, whilst the rear remains exactly as it was when it came out of service. It is is fitted with its original suspension brackets. The substantial polished brass letters stand out in relief with red painted edges.