List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy
Active Ships
Historic ships
Naval mine clearance was originally done by whatever type of vessel could easily be adapted to the task, paddle steamers proving particularly suitable due to their shallow draught. In both World Wars trawlers were employed, as they were naturally suitable vessels for wire sweeping (in World War II this task was given to smaller trawlers of around 300 tons, larger ones being used for anti-submarine work). The increased sophistication and threat posed by the mine meant that specialist mine countermeasure vessels eventually had to be built; the Minesweeping Sloop (this term was officially dropped in 1937, but continued in use nonetheless). The Royal Navy has possessed such vessels since 1914.
There were also some conversions of ships originally built for other purposes for special minesweeping. This was mainly early in World War II for sweeping of acoustic and magnetic mines, and later in the war influence mines. The ships selected were of varying origin and age and thus do not form a class as such.
- Flower class (112 ships in 4 sub-classes, launched 1914—1918) convoy sloops intended originally for minesweeping
- Hunt class, Belvoir group (20 ships, launched 1916—1917) Ailsa twin-screw coastal minesweeping sloops
- Hunt class, Aberdare group (87 ships, launched 1917—1919) Admiralty twin-screw coastal minesweeping sloops
- Dance class (14 ships, launched 1917-1919) tunnel-screw coastal minesweeping sloops
- Racecourse class (32 ships in 2 sub-classes, launched 1916—1918) paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops
- Halcyon class (7 reciprocating and 14 turbine ships, launched 1933—1939) twin-screw minesweeping sloops
- Bangor class (14 ships, launched 1940—1942) diesel twin-screw single-role minesweeping sloops
- Blyth class (Bangor class II) (19 ships, launched 1940—1943) reciprocating Bangor variant
- Ardrossan class (Bangor class III) (26 ships, launched 1940—1942) turbine Bangor variant
- Bathurst class (47 ships, launched 1940—1943 only served with the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Indian Navy) Australian Bangor variant
- MMS class (403 ships, launched 1940—1945) inshore acoustic / magnetic motor minesweepers
- Algerine class (98 ships, launched 1941—1945) twin-screw multi-role minesweeping sloops
- Catherine class (22 ships, transferred from the US Navy in 1941 under the Lend-Lease program) twin-screw multi-role minesweeping sloops
- BYMS class (150 ships, launched 1941—1943) British Yard acoustic / magnetic motor minesweepers
- Ton class (116 ships, launched 1952—1959) open-water minesweepers, minehunters and mine countermeasures vessels
- Ham class (93 ships, launched 1954—1959) inshore minesweepers
- Ley class (10 ships, launched 1952—1955) inshore minehunters
- Wilton class (1 ship, launched 18 January 1972) open-water minesweeper and minehunter. Prototype ship built in Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) to same hull design as Ton Class and forerunner of Hunt and Sandown Classes also constructed in GRP.
- Hunt class (13 ships, launched 1978—1988) mine countermeasures vessels
- Venturer class (2 ships, purchased 1979) deep-water single-role minesweepers
- River class (12 ships, launched 1982—1985) deep-water single-role minesweepers
- Sandown class (12 ships, launched 1990—2001) single-role minehunters
Categories
Lists of Royal Navy ships, by type