MBT Minesweeper HMS "Marvel" M443 (1942/45); "Algerine"-class minesweepers - Construction Drawing Scale 1 : 96 (10.11.092)

Overview of the ship HMS Marvel (J443/M443) of the British Navy — a vessel from the Algerine-class minesweepers (sometimes referred to as “fleet minesweepers”)

General Data

Class: Algerine-class minesweeper.

Pennant number: J 443 (later M 443).

Shipyard: built by Redfern Construction Ltd., Toronto (Canada).

Keel laid: 19 April 1944.

Launched: 30 August 1944.

Commissioned: 2 April 1945.

Decommissioned/scrapped: scrapped on 7 May 1958

Technical Characteristics (typical for Algerine-class)

The Algerine-class (including HMS Marvel) largely had the following characteristics:

Displacement: approximately 850 lt standard, up to around 1,125 lt full load.

Length: approximately 225 ft (~68.6 m).

Beam: approximately 35 ft (~10.8 m).

Speed: approximately 16½ knots.

Armament: including a 4-inch main gun + 20 mm/40 mm anti-aircraft (depending on version).

Propulsion : Variants with steam turbines or triple-expansion steam engines (VTE) — the Canadian-built ships in the class often fell under the VTE variant.

Operational Service & Particulars

HMS Marvel was commissioned on 2 April 1945 — towards the end of the Second World War.

As the war ended in Europe in May 1945, her active wartime service was thereby limited — many of the minesweeping and escort duties had already largely been carried out by that time.

After the war, she remained in service for some time, but was eventually scrapped on 7 May 1958

Specifications :