Danlayers
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A danlayer was a type of vessel assigned to
minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...
flotillas during and immediately after
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 ...
. They were usually small
trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler, a converted trawler, or a boat built in that style, used for naval purposes ** Trawlers of the Royal Navy * Recreational trawler, a pleasure boat built t ...
, fitted for the purpose of laying dans. A dan is a marker buoy which consists of a long pole moored to the seabed and fitted to float vertically, usually with a coded flag at the top. Dan laying was an important part of minesweeping, and boats were fitted specifically for this purpose. The task of a danlayer was to follow the minesweepers as they worked an area, and lay the dans which defined the area swept and made it obvious where the clear channels were. This would also help the minesweepers cover areas accurately without gaps and unnecessary overlaps.McDougall RJ, ''New Zealand Naval Vessels'', p. 55. Wellington, NZ: Government Printing Office, 1989. A danlayer worked with a minesweeper flotilla when large areas of sea were to be clear-swept.


List of danlayers


Germany

Since Germany had been an exponent of mine warfare since the 1920s, it was natural that the '' Kriegsmarine'' used a number of danlayers 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 ...
. Danlayers of the Kriegsmarine included the following vessels: *The 800-ton, 176-foot ''B 206'' - This vessel was ceded to France in 1946 and outfitted as the surveying vessel ''
Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
'' *The 120-ton, 82-foot ''B 253, B 254, B 261, B 262, B 264, B 273'' and ''B 275'' - These were ceded to France in 1946 and renamed ''Rachgoun, Treberon, Tourteau, Cassidaign, Les Madeleines, Habibas'' and ''Crabe'', respectively. ''Tourteau'' and ''Crabe'' became surveying tenders, while the others were employed as small harbor transports for naval personnel. *The 600-ton, 180-foot ''B 281'' (formerly the patrol trawler ''V 204'', originally named ''Zieten'') - This vessel was ceded to France in 1946 and renamed ''Astrolabe'' as a surveying tender. *The 500-ton, 137-foot ''B 282'' and ''B 284'' (formerly the whalers ''Treff. 6'' and ''Traff. 2''), respectively) - Both were ceded to France in 1946 and renamed ''Estafette'' and ''Sentinelle'' as surveying tenders.


United Kingdom

Danlayers employed by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
during the extensive mine clearance operations following World War II included the following s. * ''Hellisay'' (T391) * ''Hermetray'' (T392) * ''Imersay'' (J422) * ''Orsay'' (J450) * ''Ronay'' (J429) * ''Sandray'' (J424) * ''Scaravay'' (J425) * ''Sheppey'' (T292) * ''Shillay'' (J426) * ''Sursay'' (J427) * ''Tahay'' (J452) * ''Tocogay'' (J451) * ''Trodday'' (J431) * ''Vaceasay'' (J432) * ''Vallay'' (J434) * ''Wiay'' (J441) Two s, ''Sir Lanceleot'' (T228) and were converted from
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 ...
s to danlayers prior to the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
. In 1944, prior to the Allied invasion of Normandy, the Admiralty-type Motor Mine Sweepers Nos. 141, 142, 238, 239, 240, and 241 were converted to danlayers and redesignated as follows: HMS ''Burfin'', HMS ''Cottel'', HMS ''Fichot'', HMS ''Jude'', HMS ''Quirpon'', HMS ''St. Barbe'', respectively. All were twin-screw, wooden, 105-foot, coastal-minesweeping sloops that were financed by Steers Ltd. of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and built by Henry Stone in his shipyard at Monroe, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada between 1941 and 1943.


New Zealand

Danlayers employed by the
Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...
during World War II * HMNZS ''Coastguard'' (T12) * HMNZS ''Ikatere'' * HMNZS ''Kaiwaka'' (T14) * HMNZS ''Nora Niven'' (T23) * HMNZS ''Phyllis'' T22


Notes


References

*Francis E. McMurtrie and Raymond V.B. Blackman (eds.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1949-50'', pp. 63, 193, 194. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1949. *H.T. Lenton and J.J. Colledge, ''Warships of World War II'', pp. 534 & 538, London, UK: Ian Allan Ltd., 1964. {{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries Ship types Minesweepers