Ton-class minesweeper


Silhouette of a Ton-class minesweeper
Class overview
NameTon class
BuildersJohn I. Thornycroft & Company, Southampton
Operators
Preceded byAlgerine class
Succeeded byRiver class, Hunt class, Sandown class
In service1951–1994 (Royal Navy)
Completed119
Active1 (Malaysia)
Preserved
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement440 long tons (447 t)
Length152 ft (46 m)
Beam28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught8 ft (2.4 m)
PropulsionOriginally Mirrlees diesel, later Napier Deltic, producing 3,000 shp (2,200 kW) on each of two shafts
Speed15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement33
Armament
HMS Glasserton in 1987

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.