Algerine-class minesweeper

By 1940 the Royal Navy had realized that the Bangor-class minesweepers were too small to carry the equipment needed to handle magnetic mines. A bigger ship was designed, ironically about the same size as the older Halcyon class that the Royal Navy had rejected earlier as too large and expensive for mass production. The size of the new ship made them suitable for use as ocean-going escort ships and many were used in that role to fill a critical shortage of escorts. In fact most of the ships built for the RCN were solely employed as such and were fitted with more dedicated anti-submarine weapons than the RN ships. To maximise production, alternate designs were made to use either steam turbines or reciprocating steam engines.[1] The construction contracts were awarded to shipbuilders in both the United Kingdom and Canada.

• United Kingdom
  • Blyth Dry Docks & Shipbuilding Co., Blyth
  • Fleming & Ferguson, Port Glasgow
  • Harland & Wolff, Belfast
  • Lobnitz & Co., Paisley
  • William Simons & Co., Paisley

• Canada
  • Collingwood Shipbuilding Co., Collingwood
  • Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co., Thunder Bay
  • Redfern Construction Co., Toronto

The turbine-powered ships displaced 850 long tons (860 t) at standard load and 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) at deep load while the reciprocating group displaced 1,010–1,030 long tons (1,030–1,050 t) at standard load and 1,305–1,325 long tons (1,326–1,346 t) at deep load. The hull's dimensions were the same for both groups and the ship measured 225 feet (68.6 m) long overall with a beam of 35 feet 6 inches (10.8 m). The turbine group had a draught of 11 feet (3.4 m) while the reciprocating ships sat 1 foot 3 inches (0.4 m) deeper in the water. The ships' complement consisted of 85 officers and ratings.[2]

The turbine-powered ships had two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The reciprocating ships had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines totalling 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and reached the same speed. They carried a maximum of 660 long tons (671 t) of fuel oil that gave them a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2]

The Algerine class was armed with a QF 4 in (102 mm) Mk V anti-aircraft gun[3] and four twin-gun mounts for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. The latter guns were in short supply when the first ships were being completed and they often got a proportion of single mounts. By 1944, single-barrel Bofors 40 mm mounts began replacing the twin 20 mm mounts on a one for one basis. All of the ships were fitted for four throwers and two rails for depth charges. Many Canadian ships omitted their sweeping gear in exchange for a 24-barrel Hedgehog spigot mortar and a stowage capacity for 90+ depth charges.[2]

After the war, a number continued in service as patrol boats, survey ships, and training ships. On 11 March 1959 HMS Acute and HMS Jewel, training ships at Dartmouth, rescued the burning German coaster Vorman Rass, off Start Point, Devon.[5] Some were sold to other navies or into merchant service. At least one, HMS Pickle was still engaged in minesweeping duties in British waters as late as 1955. At least one Algerine is still in service with the Royal Thai Navy: HTMS Phosampton (ex-HMS Minstrel).

• Algerine was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Ascianghi off Bougie, Algeria on 15 November 1942.
• Alarm was damaged beyond repair by air attack off Bône, Algeria on 2 January 1943.
• Loyalty (ex-Rattler) was sunk by the German submarine U-480 in the English Channel on 22 August 1944.
• Regulus was sunk by a mine off Corfu on 12 January 1945.
• Squirrel was sunk by a mine off Phuket, Thailand on 24 July 1945.
• Vestal was sunk by a Japanese kamikaze plane off Phuket, Thailand on 26 July 1945.

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Lenton, H. T. (1998). British & Empire Warships of the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-048-7.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Algerine class minesweeper.

• Algerine-class from uboat.net
• The Algerine Association
• Algerine-class minesweepers - Radio Fit