Sperrbrecher
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Kriegsmarine |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Sperrbrecher 32 |
| Type | Minesweeper |
| Displacement | 7,500 tonnes (8,300 short tons) |
| Length | 115.1 m (378 ft) |
| Beam | 15.3 m (50 ft) |
| Draught | 6.5 m (21 ft) |
| Propulsion | One diesel engine, one shaft, 3,500 shp (2,600 kW) |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h) |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Representative type of converted ships. |
A Sperrbrecher (German; informally translated as "pathfinder" but literally meaning "mine barrage breaker"), was a German auxiliary ship of the First World War and the Second World War that served as a type of minesweeper, steaming ahead of other vessels through minefields and detonating them with its reinforced hull. Also used as anti-aircraft ships, the Sperrbrecher suffered heavy losses in the war.