Motor minesweepers

This book covers the ships of the 105-foot Ameland class and the 126-foot Duiveland class. These are ships that, for the first time in history, were specifically built to combat influence mines, and in Great Britain they belong to the MMS – the motor minesweepers. Because the ships are inextricably linked to the introduction of the magnetic mine and the development of the magnetic sweep gear, attention is also given to these subjects.

The ships were purchased during World War II by the Dutch government in exile and deployed in British waters. They played an active role in the liberation of the Netherlands and ensured that Dutch ports became accessible to shipping again. At the end of 1945, half were sent to the Dutch East Indies to neutralize the mine hazard there as well. In the 1950s, they were finally decommissioned. At that time, they had cleared hundreds of mines and travelled tens of thousands of miles in the service of the Royal Navy. The personnel serving on board were a cross-section of the people who fulfilled their duties at sea during and after the war. Initially, the crew consisted of fishermen, after the liberation mostly of war volunteers, and finally of regular professional and reserve naval personnel. Two ships were lost during their work; with one ship, the entire crew (except for one man) perished. In addition to the simple living conditions on board, the crews faced the mine hazard almost daily. It is not without reason that many actions of these wooden minesweepers are recorded on the banner of the Mine Service.

Translated from Dutch:

Dit boek behandelt de schepen van de 105-voets Amelandklasse en de 126-voets Duiveland-klasse. Het zijn schepen die voor het eerst in de geschiedenis speciaal gebouwd werden voor het bestrijden van invloedsmijnen en in Groot- Brittannië behoren zij tot de MMS – de motor minesweepers. Omdat de schepen onlosmakelijk verbonden zijn met de introductie van de magnetisch mijn en de ontwikkeling van het magnetische veegtuig, wordt ook aan die onderwerpen aandacht besteed.

De schepen werden tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog aangekocht door de Nederlandse regering in ballingschap en ingezet in Britse wateren. Zij hadden een actief aandeel in de bevrijding van Nederland en zorgden dat de Nederlandse havens weer toegankelijk werden voor...read more...