Military-class trawler

The Military class of Admiralty trawlers was a small class of trawlers built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War.

Military-class trawler

HMS Guardsman in 1944
Class overview
Builders	Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley
Operators	Royal Navy
Built	1941–1944
In commission	1943–1945
Completed	9
Lost	nil
General characteristics [1]
Type	Naval trawler
Displacement	830 long tons (843 t)
Length	193 ft (59 m)
Beam	30 ft (9.1 m)
Draught	14.10 ft (4.30 m)
Propulsion	Reciprocating engine, 1 shaft
Speed	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
Complement	40
Armament	1 × 4in/40 QF gun 4-8 × Oerlikon 20 mm AA guns 65 × depth charges

The vessels were intended for use as minesweepers and for anti-submarine warfare, and the design was based on a commercial type, Lady Madeleine by Cook Welton and Gemmell of Beverley.[2] The purpose of the order was to make use of specialist mercantile shipyards to provide vessels for war use by adapting commercial designs to Admiralty specifications. Between 1941 and 1943 the Royal Navy ordered nine such vessels from Cook Welton and Gemmel. All saw active service, but none were lost in action. The Military-class trawlers were the largest trawlers built for the Royal Navy and bear comparison with the Flower-class corvettes.[3]