The Fish class of
Admiralty trawlers was a small class of
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 First and Second World Wars. Some—known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers"— were purpose-built ...
s built for the British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
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 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 are typi ...
, and the design was based on a commercial type, the 1929 ''Gulfoss'' by
Cochrane & Sons
Cochrane Shipbuilders was a shipbuilder at Selby.
History
Founded by Andrew Cochrane at Beverley, England in 1884, establishing Cochrane & Sons in 1896. The ship building company moved to Selby in 1898. During the Second World War the company ...
, of
Selby
Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731.
The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...
.
[Elliott p286] 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.
In 1940 the Royal Navy ordered ten such vessels from Cochrane. All saw active service, and two were lost in incidents.
''Corncrake''-type minelayer
Two vessels, ''Mackerel'' and ''Turbot'', were converted for use as
controlled minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing contro ...
s while still under construction. Upon completion they were renamed ''Corncrake'' and ''Redshank'', respectively.
[Conway p67][Cocker p24]
Ships
See also
*
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, ...
Notes
References
*
*
* {{cite book , last=Elliott , first=Peter , title=Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey , year=1977 , publisher=Macdonald and Jane's, location=London , isbn=0-356-08401-9
External links
Fish class trawlers at uboat.net
Naval trawlers of the United Kingdom
Minelayers of the United Kingdom