WWI Minesweepers

Royal Navy Minesweepers built before and during World War One. As well as the first paddle steamer minesweepers used by the Royal Navy.
NAME	LAUNCHED	FATE
WORLD WAR ONE
Hunt Class
Belvoir	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Bicester	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Blackmorevale	1916	Sunk by mines on 1st May 1918.
Cotswold	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Cottesmore	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Cattistock	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Croome	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Dartmoor	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Garth	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Hambledon	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Heythrop	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Holderness	1916	Sold for scrapping in August 1924.
Meynell	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Muskerry	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Oakley	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Pytchley	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Quorn	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1922.
Southdown	1916	Sold for scrapping in December 1926.
Tedworth	1916	Became a diving tender in August 1923 and was later used for the radar trials before being sold for scrap in late 1946.
Zetland	1916	Sold for scrapping in 1923.
Aberdare Class
Aberdare	1917	Sold in 1947.
Abingdon	1917	She was beached at Malta after taking heavy bomb damage from Italian aircraft on 5th April 1942. Scrapped in 1950.
Albury	1917	Sold in 1947.
Alresford	1917	Sold in 1947.
Appledore	1917	Sold in 1920.
Badminton	1917	Sold in 1923.
Bagshot	1917	Became depot ship named Medway II from April 1945- February 1946 until she was sold in 1949. She was mined while in tow on 1st September 1951.
Barnstaple	1917	Sold in 1921.
Banchory	1917	Sold in 1922.
Blackburn	1917	Sold in 1922.
Bootle	1917	Sold in 1923.
Bradford	1917	Sold in 1920.
Burslem	1917	Sold in 1928.
Bury	1917	Sold in 1923.
Caerleon	1917	Sold in 1922.
Camberley	1917	Sold in 1923.
Carstairs	1917	Renamed Dryad in 1924 before being sold in April 1935.
Caterham	1917	Sold in April 1935.
Cheam	1917	Sold in 1922.
Clonmel	1917	Sold in 1922.
Craigie	1917	Sold in 1922.
Cupar	1917	Mined and sunk on 5th May 1919.
Derby	1917	Sold in 1946.
Dorking	1917	Sold in 1928.
Dundalk	1917	Mined 16th and sunk on 17th October 1940.
Dunoon	1917	Mined and sunk on 30th April 1940.
Elgin	1917	Sold in 1945.
Fairfield	1917	Sold in 1920.
Fareham	1917	Became depot ship St Angelo II from 1944-45 before being sold in 1948.
Faversham	1917	Sold in 1927.
Fermoy	1917	Bombed and sunk on 4th May 1941 while at Malta. Raised and scrapped.
Forfar	1917	Sold in 1922.
Fitzroy	1917	Completed as a survey vessel she was converted to minesweeper in 1939 but was mined and sunk on 27th May 1942.
Ford	1917	Sold in 1928.
Forres	1917	Sold in 1935.
Gaddesdon	1917	Sold in 1922.
Gainsborough	1917	Sold in 1928.
Gretna	1917	Sold in 1928.
Harrow	1917	Sold in 1947.
Havant	1917	Sold to Thailand and renamed Chow Phraya in August 1922.
Huntley	1917	Sank after coming under fire from aircraft on 31st January 1941
Instow	1917	Sold in 1920.
Irvine	1917	Sold in 1923.
Kendal	1917	Sold in 1928.
Kinross	1917	Mined and sunk on 16th June 1919.
Leamington	1917	Sold in 1928.
Longford	1917	Sold in 1923.
Lydd	1917	Sold in 1947.
Marlow	1917	Sold in 1928.
Mistley	1917	Unknown
Monaghan	1917	Sold in 1920.
Mallaig	1917	Sold in 1927.
Malvern	1917	Sold in 1928.
Marazion	1917	Sold in 1933.
Munlochy	1917	Sold in 1922.
Nailsea	1917	Sold in 1927.
Newark	1917	Sold in 1928.
Northolt	1917	Sold in 1928.
Pangbourne	1917	Sold in 1947.
Penarth	1917	Mined and sunk on 4th February 1919.
Petersfield	1917	Wrecked on Tung Yung Island on 11th November 1931.
Pontypool	1917	Sold in 1922.
Prestatyn	1917	Sold in 1923.
Repton	1917	Sold in 1920.
Ross	1917	Sold in 1947.
Rugby	1917	Sold in 1927.
Salford	1917	Sold in 1920.
Saltash	1917	Unknown
Saltburn	1917	Sold in 1946.
Selkirk	1917	Unknown
Sherborne	1917	Sold in 1928.
Shrewsbury	1917	Sold in 1927.
Sligo	1917	Sold in 1922.
Stafford	1917	Sold in 1928.
Stoke	1917	Sunk by aircraft on 7th May 1941.
Sutton	1917	Sold in 1947.
Swindon	1917	Sold in 1921.
Tiverton	1917	Sold in 1938.
Tonbridge	1917	Sold in 1928.
Tralee	1917	Sold in 1929.
Tring	1917	Sold in 1927
Truro	1917	Sold in 1928.
Wem	1917	Sold in 1921.
Wexford	1917	Sold in 1921.
Weybourne	1917	Sold in 1928.
Widnes	1917	Took heavy damage from aircraft on 20th May 1941 and beached at Suda Bay in Crete. She was repaired and refloated by the German Navy - renamed UJ2109 but sunk on 17th October 1943.
Yeovil	1917	Sold in 1928.
Dance Class
Cotillon	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Coverley	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Fandango	Acquired from War Office in April 1919	Used to sweep coastal areas of Northern Russia. Mined and sunk on 3rd July 1919.
Gavotte	Acquired from War Office in December 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Given back to War Office in 1920.
Hornpipe	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Mazurka	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Minuet	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Morris Dance	Acquired from War Office in April 1919	Used to sweep coastal areas of Northern Russia. Sold in May 1920.
Pirouette	Acquired from War Office in December 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Given back to War Office in 1920.
Quadrille	Acquired from War Office in October 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Sold in May 1920.
Sarabande	Acquired from War Office in December 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Given back to War Office in 1920.
Step Dance	Acquired from War Office in April 1919	Used to sweep coastal areas of Northern Russia. Sold in May 1920.
Sword Dance	Acquired from War Office in April 1919	Used to sweep coastal areas of Northern Russia. Mined and sunk on 24th June 1919.
Tarantella	Acquired from War Office in December 1917	Used to sweep coast of Flanders. Given back to War Office in 1920.

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Naval Historians and Enthusiasts Noticeboard MESSAGE BOARD KENNETH FONT... My father, Kenneth Font (still alive 9th May 2004) served on the Ross as an Ord Seaman, then Able Seaman, from November 1943 to January 1945. The Ross carried out minesweeping duties on D-Day in June 1944. David Font. REPLY TO ABOVE MESSAGE.. To David Font: Ijoined HMS Ross as O/S atHarwich at the end of December 1943and left ship at Stornaway in Aug./Sept 1944. I think I can remember your father. I hope that he keeps in good health.I have looked up some detailed information regarding the Ross which might be of interest.I can be contacted through my email address.from E G Isherwood. CHRISTOPHER COLLIER... My Grandfather served on the minesweeper HMS Banchory, I believe he was on it from 1st November 1918 until 13th June 1919. It is a later Hunt Class (Aberdare Class) ship and was built in 1918. If anyone has information or photographs of this ship & crew, please contact us at