The Ley class was a class of inshore minehunter built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1950s. They had pennant numbers in the series M2001. Eleven ships were built in the early 1950s, most of which were subsequently disarmed and used as training vessels, RNXS tenders, URNU vessels etc.
Description They were of composite construction, that is, wood and non-ferrous metals, to give a low magnetic signature, important in a vessel that may be dealing with magnetically detonated mines. They displaced 164 tons fully laden, were armed with a Bofors 40 mm gun or an Oerlikon 20 mm gun and were powered by a pair of Paxman diesel engines.
The class shared the same basic hull as their inshore minesweeper counterpart the and the inshore survey craft.
Role Unlike traditional minesweepers, they were not equipped for sweeping moored or magnetic mines. Their work was to locate individual mines and neutralise them. This was a new role at that point, and the class was configured for working in the shallow water of rivers, estuaries and shipping channels.
Ships NameHull No.CompletedOut of serviceNotesM20023 February 19541982To Woolworth Sea Cadet CorpsM200315 April 19541969ScrappedM200422 September 19541966SoldM20053 November 19541965SoldM200612 September 19541959ScrappedM20075 August 19541966ScrappedM200829 June 19541966ScrappedM20097 January 19551969Sold for scrapM20105 May 19551982SoldM200122 August 19551967Sold for scrap
References
Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54, R. V. B. Blackman (ed), Jane's Publishing, 1953 Warships of the Royal Navy, Captain John. E. Moore RN, Jane's Publishing, 1979 Bassingham web site