HMS Pelorus (J291)  HMS "Pelorus" (pennant number: J291) was an built for the Royal Navy (RN) during World War II. Upon completion, the ship became the flotilla leader of the 7th Minesweeper Flotilla, clearing mines off the east coast of England. In June 1944, the flotilla was assigned to sweep one of the beaches during the Normandy landings until she struck a mine the following month. After her repairs were completed, "Pelorus" was reassigned to the English Channel and the 6th Minesweeping Flotilla. The flotilla was transferred to the Indian Ocean in 1945 and spent some time escorting convoys. They participated in Operation Collie, a bombardment of Japanese positions in the Nicobar Islands, in July and then swept the Strait of Malacca and the approaches to Singapore in August. After the war, she was sold to the South African Navy and renamed "Pietermaritzburg". The ship was later converted into a midshipmans' training ship during the early 1960s. She served as a barracks ship from 1968 to 1991 when "Pietermaritzburg" was listed for disposal. The ship was scuttled as an artificial reef off the South African coast in 1994. "Pelorus" displaced at standard load and at deep load. The ship had an overall length of , a beam of and a deep draught of . She was powered by a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines developed a total of which gave a maximum speed of . The ship carried enough fuel oil that she had a range of at . The ship was armed with a single 4-inch (102 mm) Mk V dual-purpose gun and four single mounts for Oerlikon light anti-aircraft (AA) guns. For anti-submarine work, "Pelorus" was fitted with two depth charge rails, and four depth charge throwers. The ship was equipped with a Type 271 surface-search radar and a Type 291 air-search radar. Her crew numbered 85 officers and ratings. During the war the two single Oerlikon mounts on the bridge wings were replaced by twin power-driven mounts and the two remaining single mounts aft were superseded by two single Bofors AA guns before the ship sailed for the Far East. In preparation for her reclassification as a training ship, "Pietermaritzburg" had her sweeping gear removed and was rearmed with her main armament replaced by a twin-gun turret fitted with more powerful 4-inch Mk XVI guns in 1961–62.