In this episode of pplpod, we take a deep dive into the astonishing career of HMS Sharpshooter (J68), a seemingly ordinary Royal Navy Halcyon-class minesweeper that turns out to be one of the most unexpectedly important “workhorse” ships in modern naval history.

Built in the late 1930s as a dedicated minesweeper, Sharpshooter was designed for the unglamorous but essential job of clearing naval mines and keeping sea lanes open. But her service record reads like a naval epic. This single vessel was present for some of the most dramatic chapters of the 20th century: pre-war mobilization, the Dunkirk evacuation (Operation Dynamo), brutal Arctic convoy escort missions, anti-submarine warfare in the North Atlantic, the invasion of Sicily