A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
A minehunter is a naval vessel that seeks, detects, and destroys individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines. A vessel that combines both of these roles is known as a mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV).
The Aggressive-class minesweepers are a class of US-built minesweepers. They are designated as MSO, distinguishing them from the smaller coastal MSCs and inshore MSIs. Besides the US Navy, this class of vessels has also been used by the Belgian Navy and the Norwegian Navy, among others.
The Ton class were coastal minesweepers built in the 1950s for the Royal Navy, but also used by other navies such as the South African Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. They were intended to meet the threat of seabed mines laid in shallow coastal waters, rivers, ports and harbours, a task for which the existing ocean-going minesweepers of the Algerine-class were not suited.
Type 352 Ensdorf-class minesweepers are a class of five minesweepers of the German Navy. They are Type 343 Hameln-class minesweepers that have been upgraded with the Troika Plus system of minesweeping drones
The River class was a class of minesweeper built for the British Royal Navy in the 1980s, designated Fleet Minesweepers (MSF). Operated mainly by the Royal Naval Reserve they were taken out of service in 1990s and sold to foreign navies.
The Inhaúma class are a series of five corvettes operated by the Brazilian Navy. These ships were built in Brazil and designed with assistance from the German company Marine Technik. It was originally planned to build 12 to 16 ships but the economic situation in Brazil did not permit this and only five vessels were built. The first two ships were constructed at the Arsenal de Marinha in Rio de Janeiro, the second pair by Verolme. The programme was considerably delayed due to funding issues and the Brazilian Verolme yard's insolvency in 1991 which forced Júlio de Noronha and Frontin to be completed by Arsenal da Marinha. The first ship entered service in 1989 and the last in 2008. Three of the five ships have been taken out of service and one was sunk in a missile exercise in the Atlantic Ocean in 2016.
USS Radiant (AMc-99) was an Accentor-class coastal minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing.
The M15 class comprised fourteen monitors of the Royal Navy, all built and launched during 1915.
The Yurka class were a group of minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy and export customers between 1963 and 1970. The Soviet designation was Project 266 Rubin.
Type 912 degaussing/deperming ship (ADG) is a type of little known auxiliary ships built in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and this class has several derivatives. As of 2022, Type 912 is the most numerous degaussing/deperming ship in PLAN, and the longest serving degaussing/deperming ships in PLAN, until its successor ype 911 finally begun to appear in early 2010s.
The Llewellyn-class minesweepers were a series of ten coastal minesweepers constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Based on the Admiralty type MMS-class minesweeper, the Llewellyn class were constructed of wood and used for the removal of magnetic influence mines. Two were built in Quebec, with the eight constructed on the Western Coast of Canada. Mostly used as guard ships during the war, only three of the ten remained in Royal Canadian Navy service following the war, with the last being discarded in 1957. Following naval service, vessels of the class ended up in commercial service, with some becoming fishing vessels, cargo ships and one a floating restaurant. Six of the ten ships were lost in commercial service.
MS Wildrake/Holger Dane/NSS Felinto Perry (K-11) was a motor diving vessel originally built and used by Norwegian Company. She was renamed Holger Dane after being sold to Denmark and finally NSS Felinto Perry (K-11) in the Brazilian Navy as a submarine relief ship from the Brazilian Navy. It was equipped to support diving, fire fighting and rescue of submarines.
The Atada class is a class of coastal minesweepers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The Pulau Fani class is a class of mine countermeasures vessels in service with the Indonesian Navy. Built by Abeking & Rasmussen, the class design is based on the Frankenthal-class minehunter.
Brazilian Navy 