List of minesweeper classes

This is a list of minesweeper and minehunter classes

Argentine Navy

Royal Australian Navy

Belgian Navy

Brazilian Navy

Bulgarian Navy

Canadian Navy

People's Liberation Army Navy

Danish Navy

  • Flyvefisken-class patrol vessels (fitted for MCM operations)
  • Holm-class multirole boats (fitted for remote controlled minesweeping)
  • MSF-class drone minehunters
  • MRD-class drone minehunters

Egyptian Navy

Estonian Navy

Finnish Navy

French Navy

German Navy

Kriegsmarine

Volksmarine

Bundesmarine

Greek Navy

Indian Navy

Indonesian Navy

Italian Navy

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

Latvian Navy

Malaysian Navy

Netherlands Navy

Nigerian Navy

Norwegian Navy

Pakistan Navy

Polish Navy

Russian Navy / Soviet Navy

Royal Saudi Navy

South African Navy

Spanish Navy

  • Segura-class mine countermeasures vessel

Singapore Navy

Swedish Navy

Turkish Navy

Royal Navy (United Kingdom)

United States Navy

World War II

United States Navy minesweepers in World War II can be put into 4 groups. First there were the 49 WW1-era Lapwings. Most of them were reclassified to serve as tugs, seaplane tenders and rescue ships.

The second group comprised the steel hull 2 Raven, 71 Auks and 123 Admirables that were conceptually similar to submarine chasers (PC-461-class and PCE-842-class). They were ocean-going, but their primary area of operation was coastal waters. They carried substantial anti-submarine warfare equipment: depth charges, depth charge throwers and hedgehogs and with this they could fulfill merchant escort duties. The 18 Adroits were PCE-842 boats built as minesweepers, but considered unsatisfactory for their purpose and converted to regular patrol craft. Several Auks were given to the Royal Navy, numerous Admirables to the Soviet Union. The Ravens were the first new minesweepers after a gap of almost 2 decades and they were the first to use diesel propulsion. The Auks used diesel-electric propulsion, because the availability of electrical energy removed the need for additional service generators. At over 3000shp they were also quite powerful and thus relatively fast. The Admirables again used geared diesels, they were considerably shorter than the Auks and only had half the power,but they came with lower cost. The Auk and Admirable classes were produced in parallel and their hull numbers overlap.

The third group was formed by the 481 wooden hull YMS-1-class minesweepers, similar in size and construction to the wooden hull SC-497-class submarine chasers. Wooden hulls were especially useful for minesweepers for it virtually eliminated the magnetic signature of the boat. These boats were smaller than their steel hull counterparts, were (probably) not going to cross the ocean under their own power and seakeeping fortunes and had no hedgehogs and only 2 depth charge throwers.

The fourth group consisted of 24 Gleaves-class destroyers that were converted relatively late in the war, but which were much faster and also better armed than any of the other minesweepers, even after the reduction in armament that came with the conversion.

The 3 Hawk were converted fishing boats and they are pretty much irrelevant because of the small quantity and lack of impact on design.

In alphabetical order.

Vietnam People's Navy

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