.png)
Adventure Class Minelayers
These two minelayers (Adventure and Arrogant) were supposed to be designed
for offensive minelaying. However by the time they got to sea in the late 20's
their speed of 28 knots was nowhere near enough for the job. What had made that
role obsolete for them was the airplane. The ships could no longer get to the
enemy coast, lay the minefield, and leave again without being spotted. Once a
minelayer is spotted, it is then obvious to an enemy that a field has been laid
and is then searched for with its minesweepers and cleared.
These two ships were used to lay the major minefields on the out break of war.
The fields from Scotland to Scapa, Scapa to Faeroes etc, Dover through the
Channel, East coast of UK. What made these ships great for that work was the
heavy AA capability. The original 4.7" had been removed in 1937 and replaced
with the new twin 4" mountings. Working in those confined waters they were close
enough to RAF airfields for fighters to be on call. Once these major fields had
been laid they could be maintained by converted auxiliaries. With the huge space
of the mine deck they were useful to run urgent supplies to obscure bases that
could not be reached except by naval vessel.