R boat
R boats operating near the coast of occupied France
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Räumboote or Minenräumboote |
| Builders: | Abeking & Rasmussen |
| Operators: |
 German Mine Sweeping Administration
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Minesweeper |
| Displacement: | 160 t (max) |
| Length: | 41.1 m (134 ft 10 in) |
| Beam: | 5.80 m (19 ft 0 in) |
| Draught: | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2x MAN diesel engines; 1,836 hp |
| Speed: | 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range: | 1,100 NM (2,000 km) |
| Complement: | up to 38 |
| Armament: |
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The R boats (Räumboote in German) 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.
A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In addition to its designed use as minesweepers, these boats were used for convoy escort, coastal patrol, minelaying and air-sea rescue.
About 140 R boats survived the war and these were distributed amongst the Allies. Some were used by the German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) to clear western Europe of naval mines. Twenty-four boats were transferred back to the post-war German Navy, the Bundesmarine, in 1956 and were used until the late 1960s. An unusual feature of these ships is the use of Voith Schneider Propellers on approximately one quarter of the boats for extra maneuverability.
Additionally, dozens of captured vessels from France, United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Italy were used as foreign R-boats (R-boote Ausland) and were designated with RA-, RH- and RD- prefixes. A further 8 coastal motor fishing boats were designated as auxiliary R-boats and named R111-R118 in the 11th R-boat flotilla.
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Wikipedia