ALGERINE-Class Fleet
Minesweeper ordered from Port Arthur Shipyard with machinery provided by The Montreal Locomotive Works on
15th March 1943 The ship was laid down
on 15th May 1944 and launched on 13th December that year as
the first RN ship to bear this name although it was in use by the Royal
Australian Navy for an auxiliary Survey
Ship. Her build was completed on 29th October 1945.
B a t t l e H
o n o u r s
None was awarded for service during WW2.
H e r a l d i c
D a t a
On a Field barry wavy of ten white and blue on a
roundel
blue an estoile white.
D e t a i l s o f W a r S e r v i c e
(for more ship information,
go
to
Naval History Homepage
and type name in Site Search
1 9 4 5
October Contractor's trials and
commissioned for service.
Nominated for service
with 3rd Minesweeping Flotilla.
29th Build completion date.
November Carried out Acceptance trials.
Prepared for
Atlantic passage.
December Passage to UK to join Flotilla.
1 9 4 6
January Joined Flotilla at Rosyth
and worked-up for operational service.
February On completion deployed for
mine-clearance duties in North Sea and.
to
NW Approaches
based at Port Edgar and Londonderry
October (Note: Other ships in
Flotilla included HM Fleet Minesweepers CHEERFUL, MANDATE,
MARVEL, MYRMIDON, MYSTIC, NERISSA and ONYX.
These were sister ships.
November Flotilla redesignated
1st
Minesweeping Flotilla
to Mine clearance duties
in Home waters in continuation.
December
1 9 4 7
Home waters
Mine Clearance duties with 1st Flotilla in continuation.
Nominated for
reduction to Reserve status on completion of
Home waters mine clearance.
1 9 4 8
Reduced to Reserve at Devonport and laid-up in Reserve Fleet at
Devonport.
F i n a l P h a s e
HMS POLARIS remained in
Reserve until placed on the Disposal List
in 1956. The ship was sold to TW Ward for demolition in 1956 and
arrived at the breaker’s yard in Briton
Ferry on 26th September that year in
tow.
For more about Algerine-class Minesweepers, see
http://www.minesweepers.org.uk/index.htm
