The M class were the first

minesweepers 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 ...

of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The need for minesweepers for the Dutch marine came during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

when sea mines were laid in great numbers.

Design and construction

The Navy converted four

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s into minesweepers.von Münching, p. 74. These ships had been built by three different shipyards; Van der Kuyk & van der Ree in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, Fa. Koopman in

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...

, and J & A van der Schuyt in

Papendrecht Papendrecht () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, at the crossing of the River Beneden Merwede and the Noord River. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which ...

.von Münching, p. 75.Raven, p. 181.

Service history

All M class minesweepers were still in service during the

Second World War 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, but none of them was able to escape to the United Kingdom; three of the four ships fell in German hands (''M 3'' was scuttled). After the war ''M 1'' and ''M 4'' were returned to the Netherlands, and re-entered service as tugboats.

Ships in class

References

Netherlandsnavy.nl :: M class minesweepers
* Mark, C. ''Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II'' Alkmaar: De Alk bv, 1997: 106-116 * * * {{WWII Dutch ships Mine warfare vessel classes Minesweepers of the Royal Netherlands Navy