The Beemster class was a class of fourteen minesweepers that were built at different shipyards in the United States for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).van Amstel (1991), pp. 69-73. The minesweepers were based on the AMS-60 design and paid for by the United States under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP).Schoonoord (2012), pp. 57-58. The minesweepers served in the RNLN between 1953 and 1976.Raven (1988), p. 184.Schoonoord (2012), p. 319.

Design and construction The fourteen Beemster-class minesweepers were ordered in 1951 in the United States.van Amstel (1991), p. 10. They were based on the AMS-60 design. The first ships were taken into service of the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1953 and the last in 1954.

As built the ships were equipped with a W Mk 3 mod 1 mechanical sweep and either a A X Mk 6B or A X Mk 4V acoustic sweeper. Furthermore, it had a double machine gun of 20 mm. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, the ships got equipped with a MB 5 magnetic sweeper.

Ships in class The ships were named after the smaller Dutch municipalities that started with the letter B.

+ Beemster class construction data Ship Pennant No.Laid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissioned M845 30 November 1951 24 September 1952 17 July 1953 14 August 1974 M846 8 October 1951 5 November 1952 5 November 1953 18 September 1972 M847 14 December 1951 29 October 1952 28 August 1953 1 July 1976 M848 29 October 1951 14 February 1953 26 April 1954 13 August 1975 M849 29 December 1951 26 November 1952 20 October 1953 14 August 1974 M850 29 January 1952 7 January 1953 3 December 1953 13 August 1975 M851 29 February 1952 31 December 1952 23 February 1954 14 August 1976 M852 29 February 1952 12 March 1953 15 February 1954 18 September 1972 M853 29 September 1952 31 October 1953 26 May 1954 1 July 1976 M854 11 December 1952 17 October 1953 29 December 1954 13 August 1975 M855 29 April 1952 11 April 1953 21 April 1954 1 July 1976 M856 29 February 1952 31 December 1952 21 January 1954 18 September 1972 M857 1 May 1952 12 September 1953 28 July 1954 1 July 1976 M858 7 May 1952 19 April 1954 3 November 1954 2 July 1973

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