Uncommon · Knowledge
R boat
Class of small minesweepers
The R boats (Räumboote in German, literally "clearing boats", meaning minesweepers) were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the Kriegsmarine (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for several purposes during the war, and were also used post-war by the German Mine Sweeping Administration for clearing naval mines.
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Twenty-four boats were transferred back to the post-war German Navy (the Bundesmarine) in 1956 and remained in service until the late 1960s. In 1954, the Indonesian Navy ordered 10 ships of a modified R-boat design (the Pulau Rau-class) from Abeking & Rasmussen in West Germany. The R boats were nine classes of motor minesweepers built for the Nazi German Navy (the Kriegsmarine) from 1929 to the end of World War II. They had standard displacements ranging from 60 to 160 tons and were from 37 to 41 meters in length. Originally armed with one to two 20mm guns they were up-gunned during the conflict, typically to carry six 20mm guns. The classes from R-41 onwards carried an additional 37mm cannon. The R301 group were also armed with two torpedo tubes and re-designated escort minesweepers. Two groups of R-boat, the R-17 and the R-130 classes, were equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers for increased maneuverability.
Text: Wikipédia, CC BY-SA 4.0. · Image: Feitel, Dr. (CC BY-SA 3.0 de) ·