W-19

History

Heavily simplified mass-production minesweepers (掃海艇), developed 1940-44 across several building programmes as a follow-on to the No.7 class. Of roughly 70 planned units, only 17 were completed, 53 cancelled. Later batches dropped the double-curvature bow to speed up production. The distinctive 55° elevation of the main guns (intended for hillside targets) proved of little practical use. Of the 17 completed boats, 15 were lost. Note: exact per-hull loss dates are not consistently well-sourced in available references - treat the figures here with that caveat.

Ships in this class

Available kits