ALGERINE-Class
Fleet Minesweeper fitted with Turbine
propulsion machinery ordered on 30th May
1941 from Blyth Dock.
The ship was laid down on 23rd April
1942 and was, launched on 4th April 1943
as the fifth RN ship to carry this name,
introduced in 1566 for ship hired by the
City of London
which fought against the Armada.
It was last used for a Gunboat built by
Laird in 1856 and
broken up in 1869. The build of this
minesweeper was completed on 5th August
1943.and had been
adopted by the civil communities of
Bungay, Beccles and Halesworth in
Suffolk after a successful
WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaign
held in March 1942. In 1942 it was proposed
to use this name for a Light Fleet
Aircraft Carrier but this was changed
later to HMS WARRIOR.
B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
ARMADA
1588* - CADIZ 1596* - SOUTH FRANCE 1944
(Note:
* The awards are recorded in both
Manning (1959) and Thomas
(1988) as being made to the first
ship which in fact
was mercantile. An award MADAGASCAR
1796 recorded
in Manning cannot be reconciled
since no ship of
this name can be traced as being in
service and no Honours for an action
on this date have been found. None
of these three are recorded in Kemp
1988).
H
e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge:
On a field White the Headers of a Red
Indian Proper.
D
e t a i l s o f W a
r S e r v i c e
(for
more ship information,
go
to
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and
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1
9 4 3
August Contractors
trials and commissioned for service in
19th Minesweeping Flotilla
3rd
Build completion and commenced
Acceptance Trials
On completion took passage to Tobermory
to work-up for operational service.
September
Passage to Port Edgar and deployed in
Firth of Forth for minesweeping training
On completion of
work-up.
Passage to Kyle of
Lochalsh to join Flotilla on
formation.
October
Joined Flotilla on formation.
(Note:
Other ships in Flotilla were HM
Minesweepers RINALDO (SO), ROSARIO,
WATERWITCH and
SPANKER.)
November
Nominated for foreign
service with ships of Flotilla
and took passage from Clyde
to Milford
Haven.
Deployed as escort with ships of
Flotilla, for Convoy KX12 during passage
from
Milford Haven to Gibraltar
(Note: Convoy
comprised two mercantiles and eight
smaller minesweepers
and a coal
burning trawler which limited speed of
convoy to 6 k knots
and produced
sufficient smoke to be a constant source
of danger !)
December
Took passage from Gibraltar with HMS RINALDO and HMS WATERWITCH to
Malta.
.
(Note: HMS
SPANKER was detached for service as a
convoy escort at Algiers
and HMS
ROSARIO remained at Gibraltar for similar duties.)
Deployed for local
minesweeping and escort duties in Malta
on arrival.
1
9 4 4
January
Malta deployment in continuation.
14th
Took passage from Malta with HMS BRAVE
and HMS WATERWITCH for
detached
service at Naples with HM Fleet
Minesweepers ROTHESAY and
BUDE.
On arrival prepared for minesweeping in
support of allied landings at Anzio
as part of
2nd Minesweeping Group.
21st
Under repair and Naples and did not sail
with HMS WATERWITCH for clearance
of mines in
advance of assault ships.
23rd
Joined Group off Nazi and carried out
mine clearance operations.
26th
Released from SHINGLE and took passage
to return to Malta.
February
Deployed at Malta with ships of Flotilla
including HMS SPANKER, which had
Rejoined from Algiers.
Carried out local minesweeping and
escort duties
(Note: HM Minesweepers ARIES, ANTARES
and ARCTURUS, of this Class, built
in Canada
joined Flotilla in Malta during this
period.)
21st
Detached
for loan service with HMS WATERWITCH and
took passage to Naples
for
minesweeping duties with 12th
Minesweeping Flotilla.
March
Minesweeping deployment off west coast
of Italy in support of military
operations by
ensuring clear passage for allied
warships and shipping.).
April
5th
Relieved in detached service with 12th
Flotilla by HMS SPANKER and took
Passage to rejoin
Flotilla in Malta.
(Note: HMS
ROSARIO of Flotilla joined 12th Flotilla
later)
Deployed for preliminary minesweeping
off Pantellaria prior to planned
landings
May
Joined by ships of Flotilla to carry out
minesweeping operations in Straits
of Bonifacio
Northern Sardinia, based at Maddalena
29th
Detached for loan service with 12th
Flotilla and took passage to join 12th
and
13th Minesweeping Flotillas for
clearance of mines off Civitavecchia
to clear
channel into port.
June
13th
Returned from service off Italian west
coast and rejoined Flotilla.
16th
Deployed with Flotilla to carry out
minesweep in advance of ships on
passage to
carry out landings on island of Elba (Operation BRASSARD).
(Note: 40
mines were swept). This clearance
enabled bombardment of
shore
positions to be carried out by HM River
Gunboats APHIS,
COCKCHAFER and
SCARAB.)
On release from BRASSARD took passage
with Flotilla to resume
minesweeping operations off west coast
of Italy.
July
Deployed with Flotilla in joint
minesweeping operations off
Civitavecchia
to clear a
channel north of Cape Corso (Operation LOBSTER)
(Note: Ships
of 12th and 13th Minesweeping Flotilla
also took part.)
18th
On completion of LOBSTER continued west
coast deployment for
clearance of
a passage towards Leghorn.
August
Returned to Naples with ships of
Flotilla to prepare for planned allied
landings in
South France.
(Operation DRAGOON formerly ANVIL)
(Note: Royal
Navy ships were under overall command of
Vice Admiral
HK Hewett
US
Navy.
This ship was allocated to DELTA Attack
Force.
12th
Deployed with HM Minesweepers RINALDO
(SO) ROSARIO, ANTARES
,
ARCTURUS, SPANKER and five US Navy
Patrol Craft as escort for
military
convoy SF2A (DELTA) during passage to
assault area.
(Note: Convoy
comprised three Landing Ships
(Infantry).
13th
Called at Ajaccio with SF2A
14th
Sailed with convoy from Ajaccio
as escort to St Tropez for landings.
15th
Detached from escort with ships of
Flotilla to carry out minesweep in
advance of assault convoy. No mines were
swept.
On completion of swept channel work
cleared area to be used for naval
gunfire
support.
(Note: Ships assigned to DELTA area for
gunfire support included:
US battleships USS TEXAS and USS NEVADA,
US cruiser
PHILADELPHIA,
French Cruisers GEORGES LEYGUES and
MONTCALM)
(For details of Operation DRAGOON
See INVASION OF THE SOUTH
OF FRANCE (HMSO), ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE
CLOSELY by C
Barnett and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J
de Winser.)
Involved in collision with a Tank
Landing craft and sustained structural
damage.
(Note: The Naval Staff History records
that this was due to congestion
shipping in the area which was within a
heavy smoke screen
released by ships to cover the
bombardment anchorage.
Withdrawn from service and took passage
to Naples for repair
Returned
to operational area and joined ships of
Task Group 80,1 carrying
programme of mine clearance to enable
ports of Toulon and Marseilles
to be used.
(Note:
Both German and French mines had been
laid in these areas.)
September
Task Unit minesweeping operations
deployment in continuation.
4th
Flotilla released from service with US
Navy and took passage to Malta.
15th
Resumed service under RN administration
after R&R Period
(Note: Some ships of Flotilla were then
deployed at Taranto for
minesweeping
and convoy escort)
Took passage to Taranto with Flotilla
October
Deployed with Flotilla for minesweeping
in Adriatic.
2nd
Took passage with HMS BRAVE and HMS
SPANKER to Ancona for
clearance of passage between
Ancona and Sibinek, Yugoslavia for
use
by ships deployed in support of military
operations.
November
11th
Deployed with HM Minesweepers ARCTURUS,
ANTARES, RINALDO and
SPANKER ahead of HM Cruiser DELHI during
passage through islands
into Split for support of shore
operations.
(Note: Area around Split had been
retaken by Partisan forces on 10th.)
12th
Deployed for night patrol to
intercept E-Boats and continued mine
clearance of cross Adriatic passage
during daylight.
(Note: During latter apart of month new
type of mine (OBOE) was
encountered for first time. This type
exploded when surfacing
after being cut from mooring cable and
were intended to
damage
any following minesweeper.)
Ships of the Flotilla were also used to
carry out interception patrols
after darkness to provide defence
against E-Boat attacks.
December
Cross-Adriatic channel clearance in
continuation.
6th
Clearance of cross-Adriatic channel
completed.
(Note: This task had taken nine weeks
during which 214 mines were swept.
Returned to Ancona
before taking passage to Malta
Deployed for local minesweeping.
26th
Despatched for investigation of possible
air minelay.
(Note: This deployment was suspect and
no mines were swept.)
See FLEET MINESWEEPERS AT WAR by J
Williams.)
1
9 4 5
January
Deployment at Malta in continuation.
25th
Took passage with Flotilla for
minesweeping southern Adriatic.
(Operation ANTAGONIZE III)
(Note: During this operation HMS ANTARES
was badly damaged by a
mine and never rejoined the Flotilla.)
February
Southern Adriatic deployment with
Flotilla in continuation.
for further mine clearance between
Ancona and Gruz
March
Adriatic deployment in continuation.
On completion transferred to Taranto.
21st
HM Fleet Minesweeper FANCY joined
Flotilla to replace HMS ANTARES.
April
Nominated for minesweeping operations to
clear entrances to Genoa
and Trieste in Northern Adriatic.
Joined by ships of 5th Minesweeping
Flotilla.
May
Joint minesweeping operations with 5th
Flotilla in continuation.
Deployed with Flotilla to provide clear
passage for traffic to Trieste.
(Note:
During this period in the northern end
of the Adriatic ships were
released for maintenance and R&R at
Ancona.
12th
Channels to Trieste and Genoa completed.
77 mines were swept.
June
Transferred to Trieste with ships of
Flotilla.
Deployed
with HM Minesweepers BRAVE, WATERWITCH
and FANCY for
the widening of existing swept channels
in northern Adriatic.
July
2nd
Sailed from Trieste with HM Fleet
Minesweepers RINALDO, WATERWITCH,
FANCY and ARIES to carry out further
local widening operations.
(Note: During this series of operations
HMS ARIES was seriously damaged by
a
mine which exploded when sweep wire
parted. Four of ships company
lost their lives.)
On completion returned to Malta for mine
sweeping in central Mediterranean.
August
Central Mediterranean mine clearance in
continuation with ships of Flotilla.
(Note: During war service the Flotilla
accounted for 1,908 mines.)
P
o s t W a r N o
t e s
HMS
BRAVE remained in the Mediterranean for
mine clearance off Malta, and in the
Aegean until returning to UK in May 1946.
The ship was Paid-off after arrival and
was placed in Reserve after de-storing.
In 1951 she was selected for RNVR
training duties at Newcastle where she
served as HMS SATELLITE until placed on
the Disposal List. Sold to BISCO in 1957
for demolition by Clayton and Davies she
arrived at the breakers yard in Dunston
on 25th November that year.
For more about Algerine-class
Minesweepers, see
http://www.minesweepers.org.uk/index.htm