The ''Accentor''-class minesweeper, sometimes called the ''Accentor''/''Acme''-class minesweeper, was a small
minesweeper
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
History
The earliest known usage of ...
used by the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. The ''Accentor''-class minesweeper was designed for the sweeping of
mines in harbors, bays, and other
littoral
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal a ...
waters.
Design
The ships of the class were wooden-hulled with a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
between and . Typically, the ''Accentor''-class minesweepers were armed with a pair of .50 caliber machine guns for protection.
Rather than creating new minesweeping vessels, forty-five wooden-hulled fishing boats were converted into ''Accentor''-class minesweepers. Since these converted fishing boats were not all the same, their specifications varied slightly. The converted fishing boats had a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
* Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
from . They had speeds from up to and crews from as small as fifteen up to 50.
Service history
In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the ''Accentor''-class minesweepers were used to sweep mines in harbors, bays, and other
littoral waters, due to their small size.
The minesweepers were used to remove mines placed defensively in harbors and coastal waters by the United States Navy.
After the war
After World War II ended and most postwar minesweeping tasks had been completed, the ''Accentor''-class minesweepers were declared surplus to naval needs. By the end of 1946, all 70 of the ''Accentor'' class were
decommissioned.
They were transferred to the
United States Maritime Commission
The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...
(MARCOM) for disposal. The two .50 caliber machine guns and minesweeping equipment were removed by MARCOM, after which the vessels were sold to various American
marine towing companies and
fisheries to be used as civilian vessels.
Ships of the ''Accentor'' class
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*(AMc-56 through AMc-60 are not a part of the ''Accentor''-class)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
APc-1-class small coastal transports
''APc-1''-class small coastal transports were a troopship design used during World War 2 for the United States Navy (USN). These ships were assigned to the Pacific War where they transported supplies, personnel and munitions around the Island ho ...
a modified Accentor-class minesweeper ship
*
Wooden boats of World War 2
References
External links
Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1940–1945 Minecraft
{{Accentor class minesweeper
Mine warfare vessel classes
World War II minesweepers of the United States