The Halcyon Class minesweepers were oil-fired Fleet minesweepers built between 1933 and 1939, they numbered 21 in total.

Apart from the use of oil-firing, the principle differences between the Halcyons and the earlier Pangbournes were the slightly greater size (800 tons) better armament and the fitting of Asdic. The Pangbourne Class minesweepers were built around 1917-1919 and were classed as Fleet Minesweepers, that is ships intended to clear open water. ... The F70 type frigates (here, Motte-Picquet) are fitted with VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) type DUBV43 or DUBV43C tugged sonars Sonar (sound navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation under water to navigate or to detect other watercraft. ...

The class had an eventful war.

Early on they were pressed into service as anti-submarine escorts, this task slowly decreasing as the ships specifically designed for this task came off the slips.

They accompanied most of the Arctic Convoys and several spent extended periods working out of Murmansk or associated bases. They also saw action in the Mediterranean and at Dunkirk. Several were lost to enemy action and three in a tragic 'friendly fire' incident. The Arctic convoys of World War II travelled from the USA and the United Kingdom to the northern ports of the USSR - Archangel and Murmansk. ... Murmansk, Archangelsk, Dikson, Tiksi, on the Arctic Ocean Murmansk coin Murmansk (Му́рманск) is a city in the extreme northwest of Russia (north of the Arctic circle) with a seaport on the Kola Gulf, 20 miles from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... This article is about a Second World War battle in 1940, for the 1658 battle of the same name see Battle of the Dunes The Battle of Dunkirk (French: Bataille de Dunkerque) was a major battle during World War II which lasted from around May 26 to June 4, 1940. ...

Known names

• Bramble
• Britomart
• Gleaner
• Gossamer
• Halcyon
• Harrier
• Hazard
• Hebe
• Hussar
• Jason
• Leda
• Niger
• Salamander
• Seagull
• Sharpshooter
• Skipjack
• Speedwell
• Speedy
• Sphinx

Known fates

Sphinx, completed February 1939 (the last of the class to complete), was sunk by a dive-bomber in February 1940 in the Moray Firth. Moray Firth is a roughly triangular area of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. ...

Skipjack was lost at Dunkirk

Niger was lost off Iceland while helping escort convoy PQ13 when part of the convoy wandered into a British minefield.

Leda was torpedoed and sunk in the Greenland Sea while helping escort convoy QP14. The Greenland Sea is an area of the Arctic Ocean between Greenland, Jan Mayen and Iceland. ...

Gossamer, having escorted the very first Arctic Convoy attacked a German submarine while escorting PQ11 and helped rescue the crew of HMS Edinburgh during the operations for QP11. A few weeks later she was dive-bombed and sunk while operating in the Kola Inlet. USS Los Angeles A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate underwater. ... His Majestys Ship Edinburgh (commissioned 1936, sunk 2nd May 1942) was a [[Town-class]] light cruiser of Britains Royal Navy. ...

Bramble, was lost on New Year's day 1943, sunk by the German cruiser Hipper while helping protect convoy JW51B.

Hebe, having survived Dunkirk, ice damage off the North Cape, a Malta convoy in June 1942, being mined at Malta later that summer, the Torch North African landing and the invasion of Pantelleria was eventually sunk by a mine off Bari late in 1943. Midnight sun at the North Cape North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in northern Norway, in the community of Nordkapp. ... Template:Campaignbox North African Campaign Operation Torch was the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started November 8, 1942. ... Categories: Africa geography stubs | North Africa ... Pantelleria, or Pantalaria, ancient Cossyra, is an island in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, 100 km (62 mi) southwest of the south-western extremity of Sicily, and 70 km (43 mi) E. of the African coast, belonging to the Sicilian province of Trapani. ...

Britomart and Hussar were sunk by RAF Typhoons on 27th August 1944 off Cap d'Antifer after a bad mix-up. Salamander was so badly damaged in the same incident that she was placed in Reserve and eventually scrapped without repair. The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... The Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter aircraft, produced by Hawker Aviation starting in 1941. ...