Trawlers of the Royal Navy

This is an accounting of the naval trawlers, purpose built or requisitioned, operated by the Royal Navy mainly during World War I and World War II. Vessels purpose built to Admiralty specifications for RN use were known as 'Admiralty trawlers. All trawlers operated by RN, regardless of origin, were typically given the prefix HMT which stood for "His Majesty's Trawler".

Summary

First World War

Class[1]	Builder	Dates	Built	Lost	Dspl (tons)	Length (feet)	Power (ihp)	Speed (kts)	Crew	Armament
Mersey	Cochrane		11[2]	2	438	148	600	11	20	2x3in guns
Castle	Smith's Dock		145		360				18
Strath	Hall Russell				311				18

Second World War

Class[3]	Builder	Dates	Built	Lost	Dspl (tons)	Length (feet)	Power (ihp)	Speed (kts)	Crew	Armament
*Basset			18[4]	-	460			12	33	3in gun
Tree			20[5]	6	530	164	850	11.5	35	12pdr gun, 2x.5in, 2xtwin MG
Dance			20[6]	1	530	161	850	11.5	35	4in gun, 3x20mm
Shakespearian			12[7]	3	545	164	950	12	35	12pdr gun, 3x20mm
Isles			112[8]	12	545	164	850	12	40	12pdr gun, 3x20mm
Portuguese	CUF (Lisbon) Arsenal do Alfeite (Lisbon) Mónica (Aveiro)		12[9]		550			11	30	12pdr gun
Brazilian					680			12.5	40
Castle					625			10	32
Hills			8[10]	2	750	181	970	11	35 (40?)	12pdr gun, 3x20mm
Fish			8[11]	1	670	167	700	11	35	4in gun, 3x20mm
Round Table			8[12]	-	440	137	600	12	35	12pdr gun, 1x20mm, 2xMG
Military			9[13]	-	750	193	1000	11	40	4in gun, 4x20mm
Requisitioned			215[14]	72						These were ships taken over by the Admiralty

Requisitioned trawlers

There were also 215 trawlers of no specific class^[15] These were commercial trawlers taken over by the Admiralty. The Royal Navy classified requisitioned trawlers by manufacturer, although such classes were more diverse than traditional naval classifications. 72 ships of this class were lost.

See also

• Auxiliary Patrol
• Royal Naval Patrol Service
• Anti-submarine warfare
• List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy
• List of requisitioned trawlers of the Royal Navy (WWII)
• Minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy

References

Notes

1. A/S Trawlers (uboat.net)
2. Mersey class trawler
3. A/S Trawlers (uboat.net)
4. Basset class trawler
5. Tree class trawler
6. Dance class trawler
7. Shakespearian class trawler
8. Isles class trawler
9. Portuguese class naval trawler
10. Hills class trawler
11. Fish class trawler
12. Round class trawler
13. Military class trawler
14. No specific class trawler
15. uboat.net - Allied Warships - ASW Trawlers

Reading List

• Cocker, M P (1993) Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy - 1908 to date. Airlife Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85310-328-5
• Lund, Paul and Ludlam, Harry (1971) The Trawlers go to War ISBN 978-0-572-00768-3
• Lund, Paul and Ludlam, Harry (1978) Out Sweeps! - The Story of the Minesweepers in World War II. New English Library Ltd ISBN 978-0-450-04468-7
• McKee, Alexander (1973) The Coal-Scuttle Brigade : The splendid, dramatic story of the Channel convoys. New English Library ASIN B000RTAX2Y
• RNPS Book list
• Royal Naval Patrol Service Booklist
• Books about the RNPS

External links

• A/S Trawlers (uboat.net)>
• The Trawlers go to War
• The Battle of Mesco Point
• The Dover Convoys
• The 'Art' of Minesweeping
• Naval Trawlers
• Trawlers lost in the Namsen Fjord
• The Loss of HMT Cap d'Antifer
• The Loss of the Rutlandshire
• HM Trawler Orfasy
• List of all trawlers lost during WW2
• Memorial site to a trawler skipper
• HMS Almond Memorial Site