The M class were the first minesweepers of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The need for minesweepers for the Dutch marine came during the First World War when sea mines were laid in great numbers.
The Navy converted four tugboats into minesweepers.[1] These ships had been built by three different shipyards; Van der Kuyk & van der Ree in Rotterdam, Fa. Koopman in Dordrecht, and J & A van der Schuyt in Papendrecht.[2] [3]
All M class minesweepers were still in service during the Second World War, but none of them was able to escape to the United Kingdom; three of the four ships fell in German hands (M 3 was scuttled). After the war M 1 and M 4 were returned to the Netherlands, and re-entered service as tugboats.
| Ship | Builder | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van der Kuyk & van der Ree | 31 October 1918 | 1949 | Sunk at Norderney during a storm | |
| Koopman | 31 October 1918 | 1940 | Sunk at IJmuiden during a storm | |
| J & A van der Schuyt | 1 October 1918 | 1940 | Scuttled at IJmuiden as blockship | |
| J & A van der Schuyt | 1 October 1918 | 1992 | In 1994 turned into a restaurant in Zwolle | |