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minesweeper
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thumb|right|upright=1.15|Minesweeper MMS-class minesweeper|J 636 underway in British coastal waters during [[World War II]] thumb|The Swedish minesweeper HMS Ulvön visiting Ystad March 3, 2025 thumb|People's Liberation Army Navy|Chinese Navy minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
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7 sectionsContents
- History
- Operation and requirements
- Aerial minesweeping drones
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|right|upright=1.15|Minesweeper MMS-class minesweeper|J 636 underway in British coastal waters during [[World War II]] thumb|The Swedish minesweeper HMS Ulvön visiting Ystad March 3, 2025 thumb|People's Liberation Army Navy|Chinese Navy minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
==History== The earliest known usage of the naval mine dates to the Ming dynasty. Dedicated minesweepers, however, only appeared many centuries later during the Crimean War, when they were deployed by the British. The Crimean War minesweepers were rowboats trailing grapnels to snag mines. Minesweeping technology picked up in the Russo-Japanese War, using aging torpedo boats as minesweepers.