Sperrbrecher
Sperrbrecher 131
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Kriegsmarine |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Sperrbrecher 32 |
| Type | Minesweeper |
| Displacement | 7,500 tonnes (8,300 short tons) |
| Length | 115.1 m (378 ft) |
| Beam | 15.3 m (50 ft) |
| Draught | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Propulsion | One diesel engine, one shaft, 3,500 shp (2,600 kW) |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Representative type of converted ships.[1] |
A Sperrbrecher (German; informally translated as "pathfinder" but literally meaning "mine barrage breaker"), was a German
Background
The advent of the naval mine in the late 19th century created a new hazard for shipping in time of war. The flexibility and cost-effectiveness of mines made them attractive to belligerents as both a defensive and an offensive measure. The cost of producing and laying a minefield was far less than the cost of clearing it, and it can take up to 200 times as long to clear a minefield as to lay it. Furthermore, offensive mine fields laid in an enemies harbours or trade routes can paralyze traffic until they are cleared, even if few ships are sunk or damaged,[2] while moving valuable ships can involve a major sweeping operation ahead of its movement. Part of this effort is identifying where the mines are, which is sometimes only revealed when a ship runs into one.
During the
Operational history
Sperrbrecher were used extensively by the Germans in World War I. The
The primary use of the Sperrbrecher was to escort other vessels through cleared paths in defensive minefields, for the purpose of detonating any mines that might have strayed into the passageways.
Due to their capable dual purpose armament and respectable fire control a Sperrbrecher was also an able surface combatant, significant enough to deter the WWI-era RN escort destroyer HMS Wanderer from engaging for fear of receiving "a bloody nose".[6]
To counter newer, magnetically fused mines, some ships of the Sperrbrecher type were equipped with a large electromagnet in their bows.[7] Referred to as the VES system, this was to detonate magnetic mines well clear of the vessel, the design specifications calling for a distance of 460 metres (500 yd) from the hull at detonation.[1] Careful military intelligence work by the Royal Navy resulted in a method to defeat this method of minesweeping, sinking several Sperrbrecher through the careful fusing of mines laid as traps, their fuses desensitised to be activated only when the sweeping vessel was directly above them.[8]
Over one hundred vessels, mostly merchant ships of around 5,000 tonnes (5,500 short tons) and larger displacement, were converted as Sperrbrecher and it is estimated that around 50 percent of the vessels converted were lost during the war.[1]
During World War II only one commander received the
Selected sperrbrechers
Individual ships which have articles on Wikipedia:-
- Sperrbrecher 18
- Sperrbrecher 31 / Sperrbrecher 131
- Sperrbrecher 32 / Sperrbrecher 132
- Sperrbrecher 33
- Sperrbrecher 34 / Sperrbrecher 134
- Sperrbrecher 36 / Sperrbrecher 136
- Sperrbrecher 38 / Sperrbrecher 133
- Sperrbrecher 39 / Sperrbrecher 139
- Sperrbrecher 137
- Sperrbrecher 138
See also
- R boat, for smaller German minesweepers
- M-class minesweeper (Germany) for larger German World War 2 minesweepers
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Breyer 1994.
- ^ Greer, William L.; Bartholomew, James (1986). "The Psychology of Mine Warfare". Proceedings. 112 (2). United States Naval Institute: 58–62.
- ^ a b c Williamson 2009, p. 19.
- ^ a b Paterson 2004, p. 165.
- ^ Paterson 2004, pp. 164–165.
- ISBN 0-304-35132-6.
- ^ Ridley 2006, p. 14.
- ^ Ridley 2006, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 332.
Bibliography
- Breyer, Siegfried; et al. (1994). Die Deutsche Kriegsmarine 1935–1945 (in German). Vol. I–IV. Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-89350-699-6.
- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Paterson, Lawrence (2004). U-Boat War Patrol: The Hidden Photographic Diary of U564. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 1-59114-890-1.
- Ridley, Matt (2006). Francis Crick: Discoverer of the Genetic Code. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-06-114845-3.
- ]
Further reading
- Groener, Erich (November 1991). German Warships, 1815-1945: U-Boats and Mine Warfare Vessels (Revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1557503015.