Trawlers of the Royal Navy

Naval trawlers were purpose-built or requisitioned and operated by the Royal Navy (RN), mainly during World Wars I and II. Vessels built to Admiralty specifications for RN use were known as Admiralty trawlers. All trawlers operated by the RN, regardless of origin, were typically given the prefix HMT, for "His Majesty's Trawler".

Summary

First World War

Class[1]	Builders	Dates	Built	Lost	Dspl (tons)	Length (feet)	Power (ihp)	Speed (kts)	Crew	Armament
Mersey Admiralty trawler	Cochrane Lobnitz Ferguson Goole Shipbuilders	1917–1919	112[2]		438	148	600	11	up to 20	usually one QF 12-pdr 12 cwt gun
Castle	Smith's Dock and others		145		360				18
Strath	Hall Russell		167[3]		311				18

The trawler Viola, built in 1906 at Hull and requisitioned September 1914 is the oldest surviving steam trawler in the world. She is currently beached at Grytviken in South Georgia, though there are plans to return her to Hull.[4]

Second World War

Class[1]	Builder	Dates	Built	Lost	Dspl (tons)	Length (feet)	Power (ihp)	Speed (kts)	Crew	Armament
*Basset			18[5]	-	460			12	33	3 in gun
Tree			20[6]	6	530	164	850	11.5	35	12-pdr gun, 2 × .5 in, 2 × twin MG
Dance			20[7]	1	530	161	850	11.5	35	4 in gun, 3 × 20 mm
Shakespearian			12[8]	3	545	164	950	12	35	12-pdr gun, 3 × 20 mm
Isles			112[9]	12	545	164	850	12	40	12-pdr gun, 3 × 20 mm
Portuguese	CUF (Lisbon) Arsenal do Alfeite (Lisbon) Mónica (Aveiro)		12[10]		550			11	30	12-pdr gun
Brazilian					680			12.5	40
Castle					625			10	32
Hills			8[11]	2	750	181	970	11	35 (40?)	12-pdr gun, 3 × 20 mm
Fish			10[12]	1	670	167	700	11	35	4 in gun, 3 × 20 mm
Round Table			8[13]	-	440	137	600	12	35	12-pdr gun, 1 × 20 mm, 2 × MG
Military			9[14]	-	750	193	1000	11	40	4 in gun, 4 × 20 mm
Requisitioned			215[15]	72						These were ships taken over by the Admiralty

Requisitioned trawlers

Main article: List of requisitioned trawlers of the Royal Navy (WWII)

There were also 215 trawlers of no specific class[15] These were commercial trawlers that the Admiralty requisitioned. The Royal Navy classified requisitioned trawlers by manufacturer, although such classes were more diverse than traditional naval classifications. Seventy-two requisitioned trawlers were lost.

See also

• Anti-submarine warfare
• Auxiliary Patrol
• List of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy
• Minesweepers of the Royal New Zealand Navy
• Royal Naval Patrol Service
• Vorpostenboot, the German equivalent to the trawlers of the Royal Navy

Footnotes

1. "Anti-Submarine Trawlers - Fighting the U-boats - uboat.net". uboat.net.
2. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 155
3. Gardiner 1986, p. 130.
4. Blower, Janis (19 May 2015). "World War One-era steam trawler remembered on stamp - Shields Gazette". Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
5. "Basset class MS Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
6. "Tree class MS Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
7. "Dance class ASW Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
8. "Shakespearian class MS Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
9. "Isles class MS Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
10. "Naval Trawlers, Admiralty trawlers". www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk.
11. "Hill class ASW Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
12. "Fish class ASW Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
13. "Round Table class MS Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
14. "Military class ASW Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.
15. "ASW Trawlers - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net.

References

• Cocker, M P (1993) Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy – 1908 to date. Airlife Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85310-328-5
• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
• Gardiner, R. (1986). All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
• 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