Auk-class minesweeper


The Auk class were Allied minesweepers serving with the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. In total, there were 95 Auks built.

Design and development

The Auk class displaced 890 tons on average, and had an approximate length of. They could reach a maximum speed of about. Auks were equipped with a single 3"/50 caliber gun| gun, two 40 mm Bofors guns, and eight 20 mm Oerlikon guns. They were visually similar to the preceding but adopted diesel-electric, rather than diesel, propulsion to permit magnetic mine sweep gear to be powered.
Twenty of these ships were transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-lease and named as the Catherine class, with "J" pennant number prefixes. Of these twenty, three were sunk in action, and 17 were returned to the U.S. after the war.
Eleven minesweepers of the Auk class were lost in World War II, six to direct enemy action including, torpedoed by.

List of ''Auk''-class minesweepers

Royal Navy