Minesweeper (AM) Minesweeper, Steel hulled (MSF) Minesweeper, Ocean (MSO) British Minesweepers (BAM) Index
Minesweepers
As a result of the Korean war experience the United States undertook the construction of a new series of minesweepers on a large scale. During the decade of the 1950s sixty-five new minesweepers were built. These new minesweepers were designated Minesweeper, Ocean (MSO). They consisted of three classes of ships: Agile/Aggressive, Hull numbers 421 to 507; Acme, hull numbers 508 to 518; and Ability, hull numbers 519 to 522. In contrast to the steel-hulled minesweepers of World War II, designated AM later MSF and still later, MSO. These new minesweepers were smaller and built primarily of wood , with bronze and stainless (non-magnetic) steel fittings to minimize their magnetic signature. All of the 1950 era MSOs had UQS-1 mine-locating sonar, later updated with SQQ-14 sonar. MSOs were capable of sweeping for moored, bottom contact, magnetic and acoustic mines.
British Minesweepers
Thirty-two vessels of the Auk Class were ordered by the U.S. Navy for transfer to Great Britain under Lend Lease and were designated BAM-1 to 32. Originally these ships did not have Navy names or hull numbers, but 12 of these vessels were ordered retained for service in the U.S. Navy and were assigned Navy names and hull numbers. Designed for the same mission as their U.S. Navy counterparts, only 20 of this type were actually transferred. Of these, three were sunk in action and 17 returned after the war.
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