MT-class minesweeper
class="infobox" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;line-height:1.5em;" |
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=MT class (Project 253L)
|Builders=[[Baltic Shipyard]
Severnaya Verf
ru:Петрозавод
|Operators=*
Soviet Navy
|Class before=Moskva class minesweeper |Class after= |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range=1943-1945 |In service range= |In commission range=1943-1956 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=92 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up |Total ships lost=1 |Total ships retired=91 |Total ships preserved= }}
General characteristics Displacement126.6-141.3 tons Length38 meters Beam5.7 meters Draft1.4 meters Installed power3x230 hp (170 kW) Propulsiondiesel engines driving triple screws Speed14 knots (26 km/h) Range2,500 nmi (4,600 km) at 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h)* Armament
- 2 45mm 21-K AA guns
- 2 12.7mm machine gun
Armor8mm (control room only)
|}
The MT class were a group of coastal minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy in the 1943-1945. The Soviet designation was Project 253L.
Design
Two main versions were produced:
- MT-1 (June 1943) - full displacement 126.6 tons
- MT-2 (April 1944) - full displacement increased to 141.3 tons, smaller engines rated to 160 hp (120 kW) were used due engine reliability issues
The ships were routinely fitted with four mine-sweeping gears, comprising two mechanical trails, magnetic and acoustic towed trails.
Ships
A total of 92 ships were built, all to the Baltic fleet operation. Numbers were T-222 to T-249, T-351 to T-391, T-434 to T-441, T-459 to T-479.[1] Only T-387 was lost to enemy action been sunk by German submarine U-481 28 November 1944.
In 1946, the seven minesweepers (T-225, T-228, T-231, T-241, T-244, T-465, T-467) were transferred to the 
Polish Navy.
Upon retirement in 1956, the MT minesweepers were routinely converted into diving support ships.
See also
References
- ^ Mikhail Monakov, Jurgen Rohwer, "Stalin's Ocean-going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935-1953", p.138