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R boat

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The R boats (Räumboote in German, literally "clearing boats", meaning minesweepers) were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the Kriegsmarine (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for several purposes during the war, and were also used post-war by the German Mine Sweeping Administration for clearing naval mines.

Aldebaran class R boat
Class overview
NameRäumboote or Minenräumboote
BuildersAbeking & Rasmussen
Operators
Subclasses
General characteristics
TypeMinesweeper
Displacement160 t (max)
Length41.1 m (134 ft 10 in)
Beam5.80 m (19 ft 0 in)
Draught1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Propulsion2x MAN diesel engines; 1,836 hp
Speed20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range1,100 NM (2,000 km)
Complementup to 38
Armament

Twenty-four boats were transferred back to the post-war German Navy (the Bundesmarine) in 1956 and remained in service until the late 1960s.

In 1954, the Indonesian Navy ordered 10 ships of a modified R-boat design (the Pulau Rau-class) from Abeking & Rasmussen in West Germany.[1]

Design and construction

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The R boats were nine classes of motor minesweepers built for the Nazi German Navy (the Kriegsmarine) from 1929 to the end of World War II. They had standard displacements ranging from 60 to 160 tons and were from 37 to 41 meters in length. Originally armed with one to two 20mm guns they were up-gunned during the conflict, typically to carry six 20mm guns. The classes from R-41 onwards carried an additional 37mm cannon. The R301 group were also armed with two torpedo tubes and re-designated escort minesweepers. Two groups of R-boat, the R-17 and the R-130 classes, were equipped with Voith Schneider Propellers for increased maneuverability. Some 424 R-boats were built, by specialist shipbuilders Lürssen, of Bremen-Vegesack; Abeking & Rasmussen, of Lemwerder; and Schlichting (de), of Travemünde.[2]

Operational use

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World War II

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A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean, the Arctic and the Black Sea. In addition to its designed use as minesweepers, these boats were used for convoy escort, coastal patrol, minelaying and air-sea rescue.

Post-war

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About 140 R boats survived the war and these were distributed amongst the Allies. Some were used by the German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) to clear western Europe of naval mines. Twenty-four boats were transferred back to the post-war German Navy, the Bundesmarine, in 1956 and were used until the late 1960s. An unusual feature of these ships is the use of Voith Schneider Propellers on approximately one quarter of the boats for extra maneuverability.

In Kriegsmarine service

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R boat classes

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Class Boats in class Displacement Length Breadth Builders[3] Notes
R1 R1–R16 60 long tons (61 t) 26.0 m 4.41 m Lürssen, Bremen-Vegesack
Abeking & Rasmussen, Lemwerder
Schlichting,(de) Travemünde 		Built 1929–34[4]
R17 R17–R24 115 tons 37.0 m 5.5 m Schlichting, Travemünde,
Abeking & Rasmussen 		Built 1934–38[5]
R25 R25–R40 110 tons 35.4 m 5.6 m Abeking & Rasmussen
Schlichting, Travemünde 		Built 1938–39[5]
R41 R41–R129 125 tons 37.8 m 5.8 m Abeking & Rasmussen
Schlichting, Travemünde 		Built 1939–43
R130 R130–150 150 tons 41.1 m 5.8 m Abeking & Rasmussen Built 1943–44[6]
R151 R151–217 125 tons 35.4 m 5.6 m Burmester (Burg Lesum) Built 1940–43
R218 R218–300 140 tons 39.2 m 5.7 m Burmester (Burg Lesum and Swinemünde)
Schlichting, Travemünde 		Built 1943–45; R271 and R291–300 unfinished at the end of the war;
R277-287 cancelled
R301 R301–312 160 tons 41.0 m 6.0 m Abeking & Rasmussen Built 1942–45; two 533 mm torpedo tubes added
R401 R401–448 140 tons 39.2 m 5.7 m Abeking & Rasmussen Launched 1943–45; mostly not completed at end of the war

Foreign R-boats in Kriegsmarine service

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Additionally, a number of captured vessels were used by the Kriegsmarine and designated "Foreign R-boats" (R-boote Ausland). These were:

  • Six ex-Dutch boats, numbered RA 51 to RA56
  • Two ex-British (RA9, RA10)
  • Eight ex-French (RA1-8)
  • Over sixty ex-Italian (RA251-268 and RD101-149).[7]

The Germans also had a number of vessels constructed at shipyards in occupied territories; four boats of 70t (RA101-105) and six of 80t (RA106-112) at Dutch yards, and four boats of 75t (RA201-204) at Norwegian yards.[7]

A further 8 coastal motor fishing boats were designated as auxiliary R-boats and named R111-R118 in the 11th R-boat flotilla.

R boat units

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Main article: Minesweeper flotilla (Kriegsmarine)

In the inter-war years and during the Second World War, a total of twenty Räumboots-Flottille (German for "Minesweeper Flotillas") were created. While most were dissolved late in the war or after the German surrender, a few were kept for use by the German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) and dissolved post-war. An additional flotilla was created in the immediate post-war, also for use by the GMSA.[8]

In Bundesmarine service

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In 1956 twenty-four vessels were re-fitted and returned to the newly-formed West German Navy, the Bundesmarine. These were the Aldebaran group, nine vessels of the R-41 class, the Capella group, thirteen vessels of the R-130 class, and the UW-6 group, four vessels of late-war construction.[9]

Aldebaran group

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The Aldebaran group were nine vessels of the R-41 class. These were 38.7 meters in length, had a standard displacement of 125 tons, and were armed with one or two 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

Name R-number Bundesmarine
number		 In service Fate
  Aldebaran R-91  M1060 1956-72
  Algol R-99  M1061 1956-70
  Arkturus R-128  M1062 1956-68
  Altair R-76  M1063 1956-70
  Deneb R-127  M1064 1956-88
  Wega R-67  M-1069 1956-66
  Pegasus R-68  M1067 1956-70
  Skorpion R-120  M1068 1956-74
  UW-4 R-101  ? ?

Capella group

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The Capella group were thirteen vessels of the R-130 class. These were 41.1 meters in length, had a standard displacement of 150 tons, and were equipped with 2 x Voight-Schnieder propellers. They were armed with one or two 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

Name R-number Bundesmarine
number		 In service Fate
Capella  R-133  M1050 1956-72
Castor  R-138  M1051 1956-58
Mars  R-136  M1052 1956-67
Orion  R-132  M1053 1956-68
  Pollux R-140  M1054 1956-70
  Regulus R-142  M1055 1956-68
  Rigel R-135  M1056 1956-67
  Saturn R-146  M1057 1956-72
  Spica R-147  M1059 1956-70
  Sirius R-144  M1058 1956-71
  Jupiter R-137  M1065 1956-69
  Merkur R-134  M1066 1956-70
  UW-5 R-150  ? ?

UW-6 group

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The UW-6 group were four vessels of the R-218 and R-401 classes. They were 39.7 meters in length, and had a standard displacement of 140 tons.

Name R-number Bundesmarine
number		 In service Fate
  UW-6 R-408  ... ... ...
  OT-1 R-406  ... ... ...
  AT-1 R-266  ... ... ...
  AT-2 R-407  ... ... ...
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  •  
    R boats operating near the coast of occupied France
  •  
    R boats inline, 1939
  •  
    Steam R boats at work, 1938

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Australia Station Intelligence Summary, 20 August 1954" Archived 3 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine Navy.gov.au. Retrieved: 20 November 2020.
  2. ^ Conway p.250-251
  3. ^ Lenton 1975, pp. 330–331.
  4. ^ Lenton 1975, p. 319.
  5. ^ a b Lenton 1975, p. 320.
  6. ^ Lenton 1975, p. 321.
  7. ^ a b Conway p. 251
  8. ^ "Räumboots-Flottillen". Lexikon der Wehrmacht, Räumboots-Flottillen (in German). Andreas Altenburger (webmaster). Retrieved 2014-05-04.
  9. ^ Gardiner, Chumbley, p.

Bibliography

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  • Blackman, Raymond V. B. (1960). Jane's Fighting Ships 1960–61. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co., Ltd.
  • Gardiner, Chesneau (eds), Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, Conway Maritime Press (1980) ISBN 0-85177-146-7
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, US: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Hervieux, Pierre "German Motor Minesweepers at War 1939–1945" in Warship 2002–2003, Conway's Maritime Press
  • Lenton, H. T. German Warships of the Second World War. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1975. ISBN 0356-04661-3.

Online sources

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Further reading

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