Isles-class trawler

The Isles-class trawlers were a class of naval trawler used by the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II.

The type comprised 197 vessels built between 1939 and 1945 in the nearly identical Isles, Dance, Tree and Shakespearian classes. Generally similar to the Castle-class trawlers of 1916–1918, though somewhat larger, they were mainly used on minesweeping and harbour defence duties. Most were armed with one 12-pounder gun (76 mm) and three or four 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns with 30 depth charges. In the Dance class a 4-inch AA gun (102 mm) was fitted in place of the 12 pdr, and there were six 20 mm Oerlikons in Annet, Bressay, Damsay, Fiaray, Foulness and Lindisfarne. Four of the trawlers were given "bird" names when converted to controlled minelayers in 1943–44: Blackbird (M15), Dabchick (M22), Stonechat (M25) and Whitethroat (M03). A total of 23 of these trawlers were lost during the war.^[1] Six trawlers were loaned to Canada in 1942-45 and five to Norway in 1943–45.

Postwar, 17 of the trawlers were disarmed as wreck disposal vessels: Bardsey (DV13), Bern (DV4), Caldy (DV5) Coll (DV6), Earraid (DV7), Fetlar (DV8), Flatholm (DV9), Graemsay (DV10), Lindisfarne (DV11), Lundy (DV12), Neave (DV14), Scalpay (DV15), Skomer (DV16), Steepholm (DV17), Switha (DV18), Tiree (DV19), and Trondra (DV20). At least five were employed as danlayers (laying and retrieving dan buoys during minesweeping operations): Imersay (J422), Sandray (J424), Shillay (J426), Sursay (J427) and Tocogay (J451). After decommissioning, Switha and Coll were converted to oil tank cleaning vessels for dockyard service in 1949–50.

By 1949 there remained in service of this type 31 trawlers and four controlled minelayers in the Royal Navy, one controlled minelayer in the Royal Canadian Navy, and four trawlers in the Royal New Zealand Navy. An additional 16 were in service in the Italian Navy and six in the Portuguese Navy.^[2] Most of the surviving Royal Navy examples were discarded in the 1950s, but a few remained until the 1960s. Two acquired postwar by the Federal German Navy remained in service as training vessels well into the 1970s, with one, Trave (ex-Dochet), resold to Turkey for further service in 1977.

Builders

Ardrossan Dockyard Company, Ardrossan, UK
George Brown & Company (Marine) Ltd., Greenock, UK
Cochrane & Sons, Ltd., Selby, UK
Collingwood Shipbuilding, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley, UK
John Crown & Sons Ltd., Sunderland, UK
G.T. Davie & Sons, Lauzon, Quebec, Canada
Ferguson Bros. Ltd., Port Glasgow, UK
Fleming & Ferguson, Paisley, UK
Goole Shipbuilding & Repair Company, Goole, UK
Alexander Hall & Company, Aberdeen, UK
Hall, Russell & Company, Aberdeen, UK
A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow, UK
Kingston Shipyards, Kingston, Ontario
John Lewis & Sons, Aberdeen, UK
Midland Shipyards, Midland, Ontario, Canada
Henry Robb Ltd., Leith, UK
Smiths Dock Company Ltd., South Bank-on-Tees, UK

Ships in class

Royal Navy

The following 21 trawlers may be^{[citation needed]} described as comprising the Repeat Isles class:

Royal Canadian Navy

Royal New Zealand Navy

References

^ Robert Gardiner (ed. dir.), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, p. 66. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980.
^ Francis E. McMurtrie and Raymond V.B. Blackman (eds.), Jane's Fighting Ships 1949-50, pp. 62, 63, 92, 94, 217, 258. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1949.
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 451
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Elliott 1977, p. 294
^ HMS Annet T341 uboat.net
^ Blackman 1953, p. 61
^ Blackman 1960, p. 60
^ "FISHERY PROTECTION VESSEL LIST: ULVA" (PDF). p. 33. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
^ Elliott 1977, p. 292
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao Elliott 1977, p. 293
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 455
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 457
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 452
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af Elliott 1977, p. 295
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Elliott 1977, p. 296
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 453
^ a b Shipwrecks & Salvage on the East African Coast. 2006. Kevin Patience
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 454
^ a b c Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 458
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 456
^ Navy News June 1958, p. 9
^ a b c d e f g h Elliott 1977, p. 351
^ "GIUSEPPINA - IMO 5131531 - ShipSpotting.com - Ship Photos and Ship Tracker".
^ [1] Archived 8 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Steamtrawler Borgenes
^ [2](Norwegian) Tidens Krav, Kristiansund
^ [3] nauticapedia.ca
^ a b c d Blackman 1953, p. 110

Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc.
Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1960). Jane's Fighting Ships 1960–61. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.
Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II. London: Macdonald & Jane's Publishers Limited. ISBN 0-356-08401-9.
"Last of the Wreck Dispersal Vessels" (PDF). Navy News. No. 49. June 1958. p. 9. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
Lenton, H. T.; Colledge, J. J. (1973). Warships of World War II (Second ed.). London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0403-X.