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ROYAL NAVY - UNITED KINGDOM

MINE WARFARE SHIPS

ALGERINE class minesweepers, VTE-engined

       Rattlesnake 1943

Displacement standard, t	950 - 1030
Displacement full, t	1235 - 1325
Length, m	68.6
Breadth, m	10.8
Draught, m	3.10 - 3.28 deep load (3.84 - 3.99 by screws)
No of shafts	2
Machinery	VTE, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers
Power, h. p.	2400
Max speed, kts	16.5
Fuel, t	oil 230 - 239
Endurance, nm(kts)	6000(12)
Armament	1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon or 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon (more often), 4 DCT, 2 DCR (90 - 92 in ASW role), sweeps Courier, Jaseur, Lioness, Serene, Wave, Welcome: 1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 40/56 Bofors, 4 DCT, 2 DCR (90 - 92 in ASW role), sweeps RCN ships:1 x 1 - 102/45 QF Mk V HA, 4 x 1 - 20/70 Oerlikon or 4 x 2 - 20/70 Oerlikon (more often), 4 DCT, 2 DCR (90 - 92)
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: Regulus was lost 12/1/1945 on a mine in Mediterranean sea. Prompt 8/5/1945 and Hydra 10/11/1944 were damaged by mines, never repaired and stricken in 1945. 

RCN ships are used as escorts only and reclassified to coastal escorts in 1953.

Rattlesnake 1952

 

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© Ivan Gogin, 2008-10