The ''Basset'' class of Admiralty trawlers was a class of

trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the World War I, Fir ...

built for the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

prior to the outbreak of

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The vessels were intended for use as

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s and for

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

, and the design was based on commercial types, adapted for naval use. The purpose of the order was to make use of specialist mercantile shipyards to provide vessels for war use by adapting commercial designs to Admiralty specifications. Orders were placed at shipyards in Britain, Canada and India for the

, the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

and the

Royal Indian Navy The Royal Indian Navy (RIN) was the naval force of British Raj, British India and the Dominion of India. Along with the Presidency armies, later the British Indian Army, Indian Army, and from 1932 the Royal Indian Air Force, it was one of the ...

Royal Navy

Two vessels, ''Basset'' and ''Mastiff'', were built by

Henry Robb Henry Robb, Limited, known colloquially as Robbs, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based at Leith Docks in Edinburgh. Robbs built small-to-medium sized vessels, particularly tugs and dredgers. History The company was founded on 1 April ...

, of

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

. The main difference between them was that ''Basset'' had coal-fired, and ''Mastiff'' had oil-fired, engines.Conway p. 65 With the onset of war, ''Bassett'' served as the prototype for a series of Admiralty trawlers, of which a total of 180 were built during the conflict using a variety of naming schemes. The first 20 vessels were ordered under the 1939 programme (the class), 30 vessels under the 1939 War Emergency programme in two groups (20 class, and 10 class), and a further 130 over the next four years (the

Western Isles The Outer Hebrides ( ) or Western Isles ( , or ), sometimes known as the Long Isle or Long Island (), is an island chain off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is the longest archipelago in the British Isles. The islands form part ...

(or, simply, Isles) class).

Royal Canadian Navy

Four vessels were built for the Royal Canadian Navy at various yards; these ships had strengthened hulls to cope with pack ice conditions and were also known as the . A further 16 vessels were ordered from Canadian shipyards in the war years, also bearing Canadian names. These were for the Royal Navy, though eight of these were transferred on completion to the Royal Canadian Navy. These are usually referred to as Canadian s.

Royal Indian Navy

A total of 50 vessels were ordered from Indian yards (including two for the Ceylon Government) though in the event more than half were cancelled.Elliott p. 404 Twenty-two were completed during the war; another 25 were cancelled and four were destroyed before completion when invading Japanese forces in 1942 over-ran their shipyards in Burma. These vessels bore the names of Indian cities, but are variously referred to as Indian ''Basset'' class or Indian Isles-class trawlers.

Ships

Royal Navy

*''Basset'' (T68) *''

Mastiff A mastiff is a large and powerful Dog type, type of dog. Mastiffs are among the largest dogs, and typically have a short Coat (dog), coat, a long low-set tail and large feet; the skull is large and bulky, the muzzle broad and short (brachycephal ...

'' (T10), mined 20 November 1939 in the Thames estuary

Royal Canadian Navy (''Fundy''-class minesweepers)

*'' Comox'' (J64) *'' Fundy'' (J88) *'' Gaspe'' (J94) *'' Nanoose'' (J35)(ex ''Nootka'')

Royal Indian Navy

*''

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

'' (T254) *''

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

'' (T264) *''Amritsar'' (T261) *''Baroda'' (T249) *''Berar'' (T256) *''Calcutta'' (T339) *''Cochin'' (T315) *''Cuttack'' (T251) *''Karachi'' (T262) *''Lahore'' (T253) *''Lucknow'' (T267) *''Madura'' (T268) *''Multan'' (T322) *''Nagpur'' (T269) *''Nasik'' (T258) *''Patna'' (T255) *''Peshawar'' (T263) *''Poona'' (T260) *''Quetta'' (T332) *''Rampur'' (T212) *''Shillong'' (T250) *''Travancore'' (T312)

Citations

References

* * {{WWII British ships Naval trawlers of the United Kingdom Ship classes of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Indian Navy

Ships

Royal Navy

Royal Canadian Navy (''Fundy''-class minesweepers)

Royal Indian Navy

See also

Citations

References