VTE-engined Rattlesnake 1943
| Name | No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Acute (ex-Alert) | J106 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 7/1941 | 14/4/1942 | 7/1942 | sold 11/1964 |
| Alarm | J140 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 3/1941 | 5/2/1942 | 5/1942 | CTL 2/1/1943 |
| Albacore | J101 - M01 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 7/1941 | 2/4/1942 | 6/1942 | sold 9/1963 |
| Algerine | J213 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 3/1941 | 22/12/1941 | 3/1942 | sunk 15/11/1942 |
| Brave | J305 | Blyth | 4/1942 | 4/2/1943 | 8/1943 | RNVR vessel Satellite 1951, sold 11/1958 |
| Cadmus | J230 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 7/1941 | 27/5/1942 | 9/1942 | to Belgium 1/1950 (Georges Lecointe) |
| Chamaeleon | J387 - M387 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 8/1943 | 6/5/1944 | 9/1944 | sold 4/1966 |
| Cheerful | J388 - M88 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 8/1943 | 22/5/1944 | 10/1944 | sold 9/1963 |
| Circe | J214 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 7/1941 | 27/6/1942 | 10/1942 | RNVR vessel 1956, sold 12/1966 |
| Espiegle | J216 - M216 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 2/1942 | 12/8/1942 | 12/1942 | sold 1967 |
| Fancy | J308 | Blyth | 2/1942 | 12/8/1942 | 12/1942 | to Belgium 8/1951 (A. F. Dufour) |
| Fantome | J224 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 2/1942 | 22/9/1942 | 1/1943 | CTL 20/5/1943 |
| Hare | J389 - M389 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11/1943 | 20/6/1944 | 11/1944 | to Nigeria 1959 (Nigeria) |
| Jewel | J390 - M390 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11/1943 | 20/7/1944 | 12/1944 | sold 4/1967 |
| Liberty | J391 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11/1943 | 22/8/1944 | 1/1945 | to Belgium 11/1949 (Adrien de Gerlache) |
| Rattler, 6/1943 - Loyalty | J217 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 4/1942 | 9/12/1942 | 4/1943 | sunk 22/8/1944 |
| Marmion | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | --- | --- | --- | cancelled 1942 | |
| Moon | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | --- | --- | --- | cancelled 1942 | |
| Mutine | J227 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11/1941 | 10/10/1942 | 2/1943 | sold 12/1966 |
| Onyx | J221 - M221 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 11/1941 | 27/10/1942 | 3/1943 | sold 4/1967 |
| Pickle | J293 - M293 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 1/1943 | 3/8/1943 | 10/1943 | to Ceylon 4/1959 (Parakrama) |
| Pincher | J294 - M294 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 1/1943 | 19/8/1943 | 11/1943 | sold 3/1962 |
| Plucky | J295 - M295 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 4/1943 | 29/9/1943 | 12/1943 | sold 3/1962 |
| Ready | J223 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 4/1942 | 11/1/1943 | 5/1943 | to Belgium 7/1951 (Jan van Haverbeke) |
| Recruit | J298 - M298 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 4/1943 | 26/10/1943 | 1/1944 | sold 9/1965 |
| Rifleman | J299 - M299 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 4/1943 | 25/11/1943 | 2/1944 | accommodation ship 1970 |
| Rinaldo | J225 - M225 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 9/1942 | 20/3/1943 | 6/1943 | sold 8/1961 |
| Rosario | J219 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 9/1942 | 3/4/1943 | 7/1943 | to Belgium 1/1953 (De Moor) |
| Spanker | J226 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 9/1942 | 20/4/1943 | 8/1943 | to Belgium 2/1953 (De Brouwer) |
| Squirrel | J301 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 8/1943 | 20/4/1944 | 8/1944 | sunk 24/7/1945 |
| Vestal | J215 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | 1/1943 | 19/6/1943 | 9/1943 | sunk 26/7/1945 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
940 - 980 |
|
Displacement full, t |
1225 - 1265 |
|
Length, m |
68.6 |
|
Breadth, m |
10.8 |
|
Draught, m |
3.12 - 3.20 deep load (3.58 by screws) |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
geared steam turbines, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
2000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
16.5 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 235 |
|
Endurance, nm(kts) |
6000(12) |
|
Armament |
1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 õ 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon or 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon (more often), 4 DCT, 2 DCR (92 in ASW role), sweeps Hare, Jewel, Liberty: 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 4 DCT, 2 DCR (92 in ASW role), sweeps |
| Sensors | radar, sonar |
|
Complement |
85 - 138 |
Ship project history: After order in a beginning of war of small minesweepers of Bangor class, Admiralty returned to the ship of the big sizes close to Halcyon class, but with smaller slenderness of the hull (L/B was 6.4 against 7.3). On request of the Admiralty, new minesweepers should, besides the developed minesweeping equipment (sweeps for acoustic, magnetic and contact mines) to carry strong enough anti-submarine armaments. Actually, Algerine class could solve the same tasks, as Flower class corvette, and in days of war minesweepers of this class very often attracted for escort service performance. However such universality has been bought in literal sense by expensive price: the building of one Algerine class minesweeper managed more expensively, than two corvettes of Flower class. Nevertheless, in Canadian Navy they fulfilled a role of escort ships and did not carry the minesweeping equipment.
On usual practice, the ships had machinery as with geared turbines (are known as Algerine type 1940), and with vertical triple expansion steam engine (Algerine type 1941).
In total 48 ships were built on British yards (29 with turbines and 19 with VTE). The order for 4 ships with turbines and on 5 with VTE have been cancelled.
From 62 ships built on Canadian yards, 19 were ordered by RN, 15 intended for the USN on "reverse" lend-lease (in the end of 1943 of the USA, already satisfied the "minesweeping" hunger, cancelled an order on 6 of them, eventually "cancelled" and "ordered" have got to British fleet). From 28 ships intended for Canadian fleet under the agreement between the governments of England and Canada 16 are transferred to Royal Navy in exchange for 4 corvettes of Flower class and 12 of Castle class. The order for 6 ships for Canadians was cancelled.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: Algerine was sunk 15/11/1942 by Italian submarine Ascianghi at coast of Algeria. Loyalty was sunk 22/8/1944 by German submarine U480 in La Manche. Squirrel was lost 24/7/1945 on a mine. Vestal was sunk by Japanese aircraft (kamikaze) 26/7/1945.
Alarm was badly damaged by German aircraft 2/1/1943, never repaired, and stricken in 1943. Fantome 30/5/1943 was damaged by mine, never repaired and stricken in 1945.
© Ivan Gogin, 2008-10