Dance-class trawler

HMT Foxtrot in December 1942
Class overview
NameDance class
Operators
Built1940–1941
In service1940–1946
Completed20
General characteristics
TypeArmed trawler
Displacement545 tons
Length164 ft (50 m)
Beam27 ft 8 in (8.43 m)
Draught11 ft 1 in (3.38 m) (mean)
PropulsionOne triple expansion reciprocating engine, 850 ihp (630 kW)
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement40
Armament

The Dance class of World War II were armed trawlers of the Royal Navy. They were used for anti-submarine (A/S) and minesweeping work and were nearly identical to the Isles class, of which they are usually considered a subclass[citation needed]. They were very similar to Tree class trawlers, and were only more armed.

One Dance-class trawler (Sword Dance) was a war loss, and one (Saltarelo) was transferred to Portugal in 1945. Four were transferred to Italy in 1946: Gavotte, Hornpipe, Minuet and Two Step. None remained in service with the Royal Navy by the end of 1946. Many of these ships were named after dances or traditions.

Ships in class

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Construction data for Isles-class trawlers of the Royal Navy
Ship Pennant number[1] Builder[1] Launched[1] Completed[2] Notes
Cotillion T104 Ardrossan Dockyard Company, Ardrossan, UK 21 December 1940 8 August 1941 Sold 28 March 1947 [1]
Coverley T106 Ardrossan Dockyard Company, Ardrossan, UK 21 May 1941 8 August 1941 Mercantile Jannikke 1947, Otofjord 1949[1]
Fandango T107 Cochrane & Sons 26 March 1940 11 July 1940 Sold 1946[1]
Foxtrot T109 Cochrane & Sons 23 April 1940 30 August 1940 To War Department 1946, scrapped Barrow 1951[1]
Gavotte T115 Cook, Welton & Gemmell 7 May 1940 24 August 1940 To Italy 1946 as RD.312[1]
Hornpipe T120 Cook, Welton & Gemmell 21 May 1940 19 September 1940 To Italy 1946 as RD.316[1]
Mazurka T30 Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd., Port Glasgow, UK 28 November 1940 8 January 1941 Sold March 1946[1]
Minuet T131 Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd. 1 March 1941 10 June 1941 To Italy 1946 as RD.307[1]
Morris Dance T117 Goole Shipbuilding 6 August 1940 7 October 1940 Sold 1947[1]
Pirouette T39 Goole Shipbuilding 22 June 1940 30 August 1940 Mercantile Tridente 1947[1]
Polka T139 Hall, Russell & Company, Aberdeen 29 January 1941 17 June 1941 Sold April 1946[1]
Quadrille T133 Hall, Russell & Company 16 March 1941 14 July 1941 Mercantile Elsa 1946, Murten 1950[1]
Rumba T122 A. & J. Inglis, Glasgow 31 July 1940 2 October 1940 Mercantile Rumba 1946, Buk Hae Ho 1953[1]
Sarabande T125 A. & J. Inglis 29 August 1940 17 December 1940 Mercantile Volen 1946, Betty 1953[1]
Saltarelo T128 Henry Robb, Leith 6 August 1940 19 October 1940 To Portugal 1947 as Salvador Correia[1]
Sword Dance T132 Henry Robb 3 September 1940 16 January 1941 Sank after collision with Thyra-II off east coast of Scotland 5 July 1942[3]
Tango T146 Smith's Dock Company 29 November 1940 21 April 1940 Sold July 1946[1]
Tarantella T142 Smith's Dock Company 27 January 1941 9 May 1941 Renamed Two Step 1943
To Italy 1946 as RD.308[1]
Valse T151 Smith's Dock Company 12 March 1941 23 May 1941 To War Department 1946, scrapped Port Glasgow September 1951[1]
Veleta T130 Smith's Dock Company 28 March 1941 6 June 1941 Sold March 1946[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Lenton & Colledge 1973, p. 449.
  2. ^ Elliott 1977, p. 292.
  3. ^ Hepper 2022, p. 198.
  • Elliott, Peter (1977). Allied Escort Ships of World War II: A complete survey. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Limited. ISBN 0356-08401-9.
  • Robert Gardiner (ed. dir.), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, p. 66. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1980.
  • Hepper, David (2022). British Warship Losses in the Modern Era 1920–1982. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-3990-9766-6.
  • Lenton, H. T.; Colledge, J. J. (1973). Warships of World War II (Second ed.). London: Ian Allen. ISBN 0-7110-0403-X.
  • Francis E. McMurtrie and Raymond V.B. Blackman (eds.), Jane's Fighting Ships 1949–50, pp. 217, 258. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1949