WWI escort trawlers to Scandinavia

Of the Admiralty classes Isles, Dance, Tree and Shakespearian escort trawlers of WWII, 51 vessels ended up with Scandinavian, mostly Norwegian owners after the war. Most of these were acquired in 1946/47 and converted to commercial purposes. Here follows a general examination of the type and details of the vessels included.
Royal Navy escort trawlers Royal Navy escort trawlers

During WWI a great number of trawlers were requisitioned by Admiralty for escort and auxiliary duties. In order not to infringe on the supplies of fresh fish, Admiralty in 1916 decided to commence on a building program for escort trawlers, resulting in 120 Mersey-class, 300 Castle- and 160 Strath-class units being ordered.

1 The Isles class and sisters 1 The Isles class and sisters

The isles, Tree, Dance and Shakespearian classes were similar in hull design and arrangement, with the following specifications:

2 Acquisition and transfer to Norway

Early in 1946 the first batches of surplus vessels were offered for sale through the Director of Small Craft Disposals in Cobham, Surrey. We note that a Belgian buyer, F Daems of Antwerp, acquiring a number of vessels on 19 March 1946. These were duly offered for resale through the broker network.