Racecourse-class minesweeper

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Racecourse-class minesweeper" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

HMS Plumpton
Class overview
Name	Racecourse class
Operators	Royal Navy
Succeeded by	Halcyon class
Built	1916 & 1918
Completed	24 Racecourse class 8 Improved Racecourse class
General characteristics
Displacement	Racecourse class: 810 long tons (823 t) Improved class: 820 long tons (833 t)
Length	235 ft (72 m)
Beam	Racecourse class: 29 ft (8.8 m) Improved class: 29 ft 3 in (8.92 m) 58 ft (18 m) at the paddles (both types)
Draught	6.75–7 ft (2.06–2.13 m)
Propulsion	Inclined compound. Cylindrical return tube. 1,400 hp (1,000 kW).
Speed	15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Range	156 tons coal
Complement	50-52 men
Armament	Racecourse class: 2 × 12-pounder guns Improved class: 1 × 12-pounder gun 1 × 3-inch AA gun

The Racecourse-class minesweepers were 32 ships delivered to the Royal Navy during the First World War. They were built to two related designs as paddlewheel coastal minesweeping sloops under the Emergency War Programme. The vessels were reasonable sea-boats, but lost speed badly in a seaway when the paddle boxes tended to become choked with water. The class is also widely referred to as the Ascot class and Improved Ascot class.