Abdiel class minelayer
Encyclopedia : A : AB : ABD : Abdiel class minelayer
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| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | full load 4000 tons standard 2650 tons |
| Length: | 127 metres |
| Beam: | 12.2 metres |
| Draught: | 3.4 metres |
| Propulsion: | 72,000 shp; Geared turbines, 4 boilers, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 40 knots |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 244 |
| Armament: | 6 4 in (3x2), later 4 (2x2) 1x4-barrel pom-pom, later 6 to 11 x 40 mm 12x20 mm , 100-156 mines |
| Aircraft: | none |
The Abdiel fast minelayers were a class of six Royal Navy ships commissioned and active during World War II. They were also referred to as the Manxman class and as "mine-laying cruisers".
The first 4 of the class were ordered in 1938. HMS Abdiel was the first launched, on 23 March 1940. Two more were laid down in 1941 and the class was completed by Apollo in April 1943.
History
The Royal Navy ordered four ships specifically designed to specialize in laying a minefield quickly close to the enemy's harbours or sea lanes and carried sufficient anti-aircraft weaponry to defend themselves if discovered by enemy aircraft. The ships designed were large, nearly that of a small cruisers (2,650-tons standard displacement and 4,000-tons at deep load) but laid out like large destroyers, albeit they carried three funnels. They had to be large to carry the intended 100 to 150 mines. The intended speed was to achieve 40 knots on trials and 35 knots when laden with 100 mines. To achieve this they were given much larger power plants than normal for a ship of their size. With an output of 72,000 shp they had nearly the same as a Southampton class light cruiser at three times the displacement.Although they were effective ships at the intended role, their combination of high capacity and high speed meant that for much of their service they were used as high speed transports particularly for supplying men and matériel to isolated garrisons, such as during the siege of Tobruk and Malta in Operation Harpoon.
The ships
1938 ships
- Abdiel: sunk by mines 9 September 1943, at Taranto
- Latona sunk by air attack 25 October 1941, Mediterranean north of Bardia, eastern Libya
- Manxman: scrapped 1971
- Welshman: sunk by torpedo 1 February 1943, Eastern Mediterranean, north of Bardia
1941 ships
- Ariadne: scrapped 1965
- Apollo: scrapped 1962
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