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 remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other general tasks within the subsea oil and gas industry, military, scientific and other applications. ROVs can also carry tooling packages for undertaking specific tasks such as pull-in and connection of flexible flowlines and umbilicals, and component replacement.
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 Flyvefisken-class patrol vessels are warships of the Royal Danish Navy. The class is also known as the Standard Flex 300 or SF300 class. The five vessels sold to the Portuguese Navy are locally referred as Tejo class.
The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. As built, they combined the separate roles of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull, but later modifications saw the removal of mine-sweeping equipment. They have a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels.
The Sandown class is a class of fifteen minehunters built primarily for the Royal Navy by Vosper Thornycroft. The Sandown class also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy, the Estonian Navy, and the Ukrainian Navy. The first vessel was commissioned into Royal Navy service on 9 June 1989 and all the British ships were named after coastal towns and cities. Although the class had a primary mine countermeasures role, they have had a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels. As of early 2024, only one vessel of the class remains in active service with the Royal Navy, though she was damaged by a collision in January 2024.
The AN/SQQ-32 minehunting sonar set (MSS) is a variable-depth mine-hunting sonar system originally developed by Raytheon and Thales Underwater Systems for the United States Navy. It includes two separate active sonar systems to detect and classify mine-like objects on the surface, in the volume, or on the bottom of the sea. The sonar systems are packaged in a single towed body tethered to the ship through a cable providing power and data transmission, with the cable length variable via an electric winch. A hole in the ship extending from the sonar maintenance room (SMR) to the hull allows movement of the towed body in different configurations for maintenance, stowage at sea, and minehunting operations. The towed body can be configured for minehunting by either locking to the bottom of the ship's hull for shallow water operations, or by extending and retracting the tow cable to allow for variable depth sonar (VDS) operations. VDS operations are necessary in deep water due to refraction of the sonar from the various temperature layers present in the ocean; with the sonar positioned in the same thermal layer as the suspected mines the error induced by refraction is minimized. The detect and classify sonar subsystems are independently monitored and controlled by two operators at independent panels working together to find and characterize underwater objects as mine or non-mine like objects.
The Osprey class are a series of coastal minehunters designed to find, classify, and destroy moored and bottom naval mines from vital waterways.
The Tripartite class is a class of minehunters developed from an agreement between the navies of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. A total of 35 ships were constructed for the three navies. The class was constructed in the 1980s–1990s in all three countries, using a mix of minehunting, electrical and propulsion systems from the three member nations. In France, where they are known as the Éridan class they are primarily used as minehunters, but have been used for minesweeping and ammunition transport in Belgium and the Netherlands, where the Tripartites are known as the Alkmaar class.
HMS Pembroke was a Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy. She was the second ship launched of the second batch of the class, which had several improvements over the first five ships built. The ship was posted for three years to the Persian Gulf between 2009 and 2012. Pembroke has since been deployed in international exercises and in historic ordnance detection in home waters. Pembroke was the first of the Royal Navy’s Mine Countermeasures Vessels to be fitted with the Oceanographic Reconnaissance Combat Architecture combat system to replace the previous NAUTIS combat system in early 2020.
HMS Brocklesby is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the British Royal Navy, her primary purpose is to find and neutralise sea mines using a combination of; Sonar, Mine Clearance Divers and the Seafox remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The class are the largest warships of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) construction, which gives the vessels a low magnetic signature. In addition to her mine countermeasures activities, Brocklesby acts as an offshore patrol vessel, undertaking coastal patrol and fisheries protection duties.
The AQS-20A is a sonar mine countermeasure detection system, developed by Raytheon. The system was initially tested for use on the MH-60S and MH-53E helicopters and as part of the mission package for the littoral combat ships (LCS) and some United States Navy destroyers of the Arleigh Burke class. However, the Chief of Naval Operations excluded the system from use on helicopter assets in March 2012, and only one destroyer has been outfitted with the specific mission package as of April 2009. The AN/AQS-20 naval mine hunting sonar systems will be employed for deeper mine threats. The "Q-20", as it is commonly called, is an underwater towed body containing a high resolution, side-looking, multi-beam sonar system used for minehunting along the ocean bottom. This rapidly deployable system provides real-time sonar images to operators to locate, classify, mark and record mine-like objects and underwater terrain features. The AQS-20 has an active, stabilized underwater vehicle, equipped with advanced multiple-beam side-looking sonar. The underwater body is towed via a small-diameter electromechanical cable, while an operator can view the underwater image and identify objects on a video monitor while recording the data on S-VHS digital tapes for post mission analysis. Operators actually "fly" the device underwater, controlling the depth of the device the same way that an airplane controls its altitude. Once located, the exact coordinates of mine-like objects can be used by explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) personnel to reacquire and neutralize the mine.
Katanpää-class mine countermeasure vessels are a class of three multipurpose mine countermeasure vessels (MCMV) ordered by the Finnish Navy. The nearly 250 million euro contract was awarded to the Italian shipyard Intermarine S.p.A. in 2006. Initially, all three vessels were scheduled to be delivered by 2014 and the class was expected to achieve operational readiness by 2015, but there have been various delays and the last vessel was handed over to the Finnish Navy in November 2016.
Salvage diving is the diving work associated with the recovery of all or part of ships, their cargoes, aircraft, and other vehicles and structures which have sunk or fallen into water. In the case of ships it may also refer to repair work done to make an abandoned or distressed but still floating vessel more suitable for towing or propulsion under its own power. The recreational/technical activity known as wreck diving is generally not considered salvage work, though some recovery of artifacts may be done by recreational divers.
The Landsortclass mine countermeasures vessel were built by Swedish shipbuilding company, Kockums for the Swedish Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) between 1983 and 1996.
Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships are a class of 14 ships constructed for the United States Navy from 1987 to 1994, designed to clear mines from vital waterways. The ships have the hull designator MCM.
The fourth USS Scout (MCM-8) is an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship of the United States Navy.
The Bedok class are mine countermeasures vessels of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). They play an important role in the maritime security of Singapore, ensuring that the Singapore Strait and the sea lanes surrounding Singapore remain mine-free and open to international shipping. It is estimated that closure of Singapore's ports would result in direct trade losses amounting to more than US$1.2 billion daily, posing a serious threat to Singapore's economy. The four ships form the Sixth Flotilla of the RSN.
Kormoran II - officially project 258, mine hunting type of vessels in building for the Polish Navy. The 2011 Defense Budget included a single vessel of this class. It was launched on 4 September 2015 and was predicted to enter service late 2016. Two more ships have been planned. Ships are built by Remontowa Shipbuilding Gdańsk and Naval Shipyard Gdynia consortium. It will be armed with 35 mm KDA anti-aircraft cannon.
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.
