The ''Neštin''-class minesweeper is a class of

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 ...

built specifically for

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

clearing duties on rivers. The class was built for the needs of the Yugoslav Navy on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

river, and was also sold to Hungary and Iraq during the 1970s and '80s.

Design

A new river minesweeper design was requested in the 1970s to replace the ''301''-class minesweeper in the Yugoslav Navy. The ''Neštin''-class was designed by the Naval Institute of the Yugoslav Navy. All minesweepers were built by "Brodotehnika shipyard" in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

. They can load and lay 18 non-contact mines type AIM-M82 or 24 anchor R-1 mines, as well as 80 fully equipped troops. Equipment for countermeasures consist of mechanical mine-hunter MDL-2R, makeshift electromagnetic/acoustic mine hunter PEAM-1 and explosive mine hunter AEL. The ''Neštin''-class is powered by two Torpedo B-539RM/2 engines 121 kW each.

Operators

Fifteen ships were built for the Yugoslav Navy and export customers from 1976 to 1980. One ship was built for the Navy of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999.

Serbia and Yugoslavia

Six ships were built for the Yugoslav Navy in the 1970s while an additional ship (RML-341 "Novi Sad") with heavier artillery was built in 1999. Four ''Neštin''-class minesweepers continued their service with the Serbian River Flotilla, following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, in the role of universal vessels for the control of river ways. Serbian and former Yugoslav ''Neštin''-class minesweepers: *RML-331 "Neštin" (retired) *RML-332 "Titel" *RML-333 "Belegiš" (retired) *RML-334 "Bosut" (retired) *RML-335 "Apatin" *RML-336 "Smederevo" *RML-341 "Novi Sad"

Hungary

The Hungarian Danube Flotilla received six ''Neštin''-class minesweepers in 1981 from Yugoslavia. In Hungarian service, they were designated as MS-25. Today three, "Óbuda", "Dunaújváros", and "Dunaföldvár", are still operated by HDF 1st EOD & River Flotilla Battalion. Hungarian MS-25 minesweepers: *AM-11 "Újpest" (retired) *AM-12 "Baja" (retired) *AM-21 "Százhalombatta" (retired) *AM-22 "Óbuda" *AM-31 "Dunaújváros" *AM-32 "Dunaföldvár"

Iraq

Yugoslavia delivered three ''Neštin''-class minesweepers to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in 1980. All survived both the Iran-Iraq War and

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, although they were largely inactive after 1991. Two were sunk during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the third was captured in a damaged state by British soldiers and scrapped. As of 2004, the class was no longer in service with the

Iraqi Navy The Iraqi Navy (), is the naval warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Armed forces of Iraq. Formed in 1937, initially as the ''Iraqi Coastal Defense Force,'' its primary responsibilities was the protection of Iraq's coastline and off ...

.http://www.paluba.info/smf/brodovi-jrm/recni-minolovac-klase-nestin Neštin - Paluba.info (Serbian)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nestin-class river minesweepers Mine warfare vessel classes Ships of the Yugoslav Navy Military equipment of Serbia