Bird class minesweeper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Lapwing/Bird class minesweeper see Lapwing class minesweeper
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bird |
| Builders: | Henry Robb Ltd, Leith, Scotland. |
| Succeeded by: | Isles class |
| Completed: | 45 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Minesweeper |
| Displacement: | 607 standard, 923 full load |
| Length: | 168 ft (51 m) overall /157.5 ft (48.0 m) keel |
| Beam: | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught: | 15.3 ft (4.7 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1100 ihp (820 kW) oil |
| Speed: | 13 knots |
| Complement: | 33-35 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
asdic |
| Armament: | 1x4 inch gun, 2x1 Hotchkiss, twin Lewis, 40 depth charges |
The Bird class minesweeper was a naval trawler built to Admiralty specifications so it could function as a minesweeper. Forty-five were built. The RNZN ships were also referred to as corvettes.
The Bird class evolved from the experimental MS trawler HMS Basset, 1935, followed by HMS Mastiff, 1938, both built by Henry Robb Ltd. They were slightly larger and more powerful than these prototypes of what ultimately became the Isles' class.
[edit] Royal New Zealand Navy ships
[edit] Reference
- McDougall, R J (1989) New Zealand Naval Vessels. Page 59-61. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780477013994
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