The ships of the class were wooden-hulled with a draft between 8feet and 10feet. Typically, the Accentor-class minesweepers were armed with a pair of .50 caliber machine guns for protection.[1] Rather than creating new minesweeping vessels, forty-five wooden-hulled fishing boats were converted into Accentor-class minesweepers.[2] Since these converted fishing boats were not all the same, their specifications varied slightly. The converted fishing boats had a displacement from 165LT270LT. They had speeds from 8.5kn up to and crews from as small as fifteen up to 50.
In World War II, the Accentor-class minesweepers were used to sweep mines in harbors, bays, and other littoral waters, due to their small size.[3] [1] The minesweepers were used to remove mines placed defensively in harbors and coastal waters by the United States Navy.
After World War II ended and most postwar minesweeping tasks had been completed, the Accentor-class minesweepers were declared surplus to naval needs. By the end of 1946, all 70 of the Accentor class were decommissioned.[4] They were transferred to the United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) for disposal. The two .50 caliber machine guns and minesweeping equipment were removed by MARCOM, after which the vessels were sold to various American marine towing companies and fisheries to be used as civilian vessels.