The Trawler Reserve and Minesweeping: January 1915–December 1917

Abstract

This chapter focuses on minesweeping vessels in service in the seas around the British Isles in the early spring of 1915. It describes the domestic sphere of operations of trawlers and their crews that primarily focused on the east coast of England. It also mentions the minesweepers that sailed out of Scottish ports and provided protection for the Grand Fleet and other Royal Navy surface ships. The chapter looks at the disposition of the flotillas of fishermen and hired fishing vessels that reflected the main areas of German minelaying off the coasts of Britain in the first year of the Great War. It details the significant operations that had taken place off the eastern side of the Dogger Bank.