List of German minesweepers (1915-1919)

The minesweepers of the German Empire, often referred to as M-bucks , were special ships used to search for and clear mines. Based on the experiences in the early years of the First World War, which had brought about an intensification of the mine warfare, the German naval command had a type of ship developed that was especially suitable for mine defense. One of the criteria here was a short construction time and the involvement of smaller shipyards that were not previously involved in warship construction.

†	destroyed by enemy action
?	missed in action
§	raised, captured or captured by the enemy
×	Accident or sunk yourself
A.	Decommissioning (scrapped, scrapped or put to another use)
I.	Interned

M 1 – M 26 (official draft 1914)

Surname	Shipyard	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning	comment
M 1	Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde	May 26, 1915	July 17, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 2		June 3, 1915	August 8, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 3		September 18, 1915	September 28, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 4		September 19, 1915	October 2, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 5		September 19, 1915	October 25, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 6		September 19, 1915	November 13, 1915	† July 31, 1918	The boat sank in the North Sea to 55 ° 18 ' N , 4 ° 35' E with the loss of five men after it ran into a sea mine 55.3 4.5833333333333
M 7	Neptun shipyard , Rostock	May 25, 1915	July 17, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 8		June 18, 1915	August 15, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 9		1915	September 4, 1915	† June 18, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea to 53 ° 36 ' N , 6 ° 5' E with the loss of two men after it ran into a sea mine 53.6 6.0833333333333
M 10		1915	September 24, 1915	A 1947	The boat was taken over into the Imperial Navy, sold to Greece in 1920 and renamed in action . Sold to Canada in 1930 as Prince William .
M 11		July 21, 1915	October 13, 1915	† December 28, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 12		July 27, 1915	October 31, 1915	† July 27, 1916	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 13	North Sea Works , Emden	May 26, 1915	November 23, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 14	North Sea Works , Emden	November 21, 1915	February 4, 1916	† March 30, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 15	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde	September 19, 1915	December 13, 1915	† March 21, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 16		November 14, 1915	January 10, 1916	† January 20, 1918	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 17		December 19, 1915	January 29, 1916	A 1922	The boat was taken over as a training ship in the Reichsmarine and deleted from the fleet list and sold in 1922
M 18	Neptun shipyard, Rostock	August 25, 1915	November 18, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 19		September 10, 1915	August 16, 1917	× March 01, 1945	The boat was taken over as a training ship in the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine and sank on March 1, 1945 in stormy seas
M 20		September 30, 1915	December 23, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over into the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and sold
M 21	Frerichswerft , Einswarden	October 1915	December 17, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 22	Frerichswerft , Einswarden	December 1915	January 31, 1916	† October 14, 1918	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 23	Joh. C. Tecklenborg , Geestemünde	July 29, 1915	August 27, 1915	† June 04, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 24		August 11, 1915	September 13, 1915	† March 16, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine
M 25		August 28, 1915	October 8, 1915	A 1922	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and in 1922 it was removed from the fleet list and scrapped
M 26		September 9, 1915	October 18, 1915	† March 21, 1917	The boat sank in the North Sea after running into a sea mine

M 27 – M 56 (official draft 1915)

Surname	Shipyard	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning	comment
M 27	Neptun shipyard , Rostock
M 28		May 6, 1916	June 24, 1916	A 1950	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine and given to the USA as spoils of war on October 28, 1947
M 29		May 27, 1916	June 15, 1916	A 1921	The boat was struck off the list of ships on October 24, 1921 and sold abroad for conversion on March 29, 1922. The further fate is unknown.
M 30		June 17, 1916	4th August 1916	A 1921	The boat was struck off the list of ships on October 24, 1921 and sold abroad for conversion on March 29, 1922. The further fate is unknown.
M 31	Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde
M 32
M 33
M 34
M 35	Joh. C. Tecklenborg , Geestemünde
M 36
M 37
M 38
M 39	Bremer Vulkan , Bremen
M 40
M 41
M 42		August 11, 1916	September 22, 1916	† April 1945	The boat was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1922 for the conversion of a ferry. After around two decades as a passenger ship, it was requisitioned by the French Navy as an auxiliary mine searcher in 1939 and captured by the German Navy in 1940. Sunk in Genoa in 1945.
M 43	Atlas-Werke , Bremen
M 44	Atlas-Werke , Bremen
M 45	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 46
M 47
M 48
M 49
M 50	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde	August 19, 1916	September 19, 1916	† June 15, 1944	Destroyed by air raid west of Boulogne-sur-Mer
M 51
M 52
M 53
M 54	Bremen volcano Bremen
M 55
M 56

M 57 – M 176 (official draft 1916)

Surname	Shipyard	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning	comment
M 57	Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde	July 1, 1917	September 16, 1917	unknown	The boat was taken over by the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine and on December 1, 1922, was deleted from the fleet list and used as a barge until the summer of 1939 .
M 58
M 59
M 60		November 28, 1917	January 15, 1918	A 1958	Canceled in 1958
M 61
M 61
M 63	Joh. C. Tecklenborg , Geestemünde
M 64
M 65
M 66		June 2, 1917	July 1, 1917	A 1950	Canceled in 1950
M 67	Neptun shipyard , Rostock
M 68
M 69
M 70
M 71	Bremer Vulkan , Bremen
M 72
M 73
M 74
M 75	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde
M 76
M 77		September 4, 1917	September 30, 1917	A 1962	Canceled in Bremerhaven in 1962
M 78
M 79	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde
M 80
M 81		September 8, 1919	October 13, 1919	unknown	Wrecked in 1950
M 82		September 8, 1919	November 8, 1919	A 1954	Wrecked in 1954
M 83	Atlas-Werke , Bremen
M 84	Atlas-Werke , Bremen
M 85	North Sea Works , Emden	April 10, 1918	August 3, 1918	† October 1, 1939	On October 1, 1939, ran into a sea mine laid by the Polish submarine Żbik and sank
M 86	North Sea Works , Emden
M 87	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde
M 88
M 89
M 90
M 91	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 92
M 93
M 94
M 95	Atlas-Werke, Bremen
M 96	Atlas-Werke, Bremen
M 97	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde
M 98
M 99
M 100
M 101	Atlas-Werke, Bremen
M 102	Atlas-Werke, Bremen
M 103	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 104	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 105	Reiherstieg shipyard , Hamburg
M 106	Reiherstieg shipyard , Hamburg
M 107	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde	July 3, 1918	July 30, 1918	† June 15, 1944	Sunk by an aerial bomb on June 15, 1944 in Boulogne-sur-Mer
M 108		July 17, 1918	August 10, 1918	unknown	Delivered to the Soviet Union on November 17, 1945
M 109		August 7, 1918	August 29, 1918	unknown	Canceled August 1950
M 110
M 111
M 112
M 113	HC Stülcken Sohn , Hamburg	May 27, 1919	April 28, 1920	A 1946	Wrecked in 1946
M 114	HC Stülcken Sohn , Hamburg
M 115	Atlas-Werke, Bremen	July 12, 1918	September 19, 1918	† May 21, 1944	The boat sank west-northwest of Fehmarn after running into a sea mine.
M 116
M 117
M 118
M 119	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 120		July 24, 1918	September 20, 1918	A 1921	Sold to Italy, in service there as the Abastro mine clearing boat in 1921 , converted into a minesheet in 1925 and renamed Cotrone and 1931 Crotone . On September 9, 1943, German booty in La Spezia, renamed Kehrwieder (G 702), sunk in La Spezia in an air raid on May 19, 1944. Lifted and repaired in 1947, in service as the training ship Garaventa of the Italian merchant navy until September 1968, then painted and scrapped.
M 121
M 122
M 123	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 124	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 125	Flensburg shipbuilding company , Flensburg
M 126	Flensburg shipbuilding company , Flensburg
M 127	Union foundry , Koenigsberg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 128	Union foundry , Koenigsberg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 129	Reiherstieg shipyard, Hamburg	January 15, 1919	May 20, 1919	† December 2, 1941	Sank on December 2, 1941 after being hit by a mine near Kolberg
M 130		February 13, 1919	July 29, 1919	unknown	Delivered to the Soviet Union on November 17, 1945
M 131		June 7, 1919		A 1919	unfinished ship at Montevideo sold
M 132
M 133	Frerichswerft , Einswarden	1919	December 15, 1919	× May 9, 1942	Sank after a collision with the mine sweeper R 45 near Boulogne
M 134		July 28, 1919	March 19, 1920	† September 27, 1943	September 27, 1943 The English Channel sunk near Berck
M 135		March 15, 1919	October 31, 1919	A 1965	Delivered to the Soviet Union on February 8, 1946 and scrapped in 1965
M 136
M 137	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde
M 138		February 17, 1919	March 21, 1919	A January 16, 1945	Stranded on January 16, 1945
M 139		March 12, 1919	unknown	×	1946 sunk after collision as a Colombian patrol boat Bogota
M 140		May 15, 1919	January 30, 1920	unknown	until at least 1994 restaurant ship in Italy, whereabouts unclear
M 141	HC Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 142		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 143		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 144	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 145	Neptun shipyard, Rostock
M 146	Flensburg shipbuilding company, Flensburg	December 21, 1918	August 11, 1919	† June 17, 1944	Sunk on June 17, 1944 northwest of Boulogne
M 147
M 148		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 149		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 150	Hansa shipyard , Tönning
M 151
M 152
M 153	Frerichswerft, Einswarden	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 154		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 155		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 156		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
M 157	North Sea Works, Emden
M 158	North Sea Works, Emden
M 159	Union foundry, Koenigsberg	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 160	Union foundry, Koenigsberg	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 161	Reiherstieg shipyard, Hamburg
M 162	Reiherstieg shipyard, Hamburg	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 163	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 164		-	-	-	order cancelled
M 165		-	-	-	order cancelled
M 166		-	-	-	order cancelled
M 167	Frerichswerft, Einswarden	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 168	Frerichswerft, Einswarden	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 169	Shipbuilding company Unterweser , Lehe	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 170	Shipbuilding company Unterweser , Lehe	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 171	Henry Koch shipyard , Lübeck	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 172	Henry Koch shipyard , Lübeck	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 173	Janssen & Schmilinsky , Hamburg	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 174	Janssen & Schmilinsky , Hamburg	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 175	Nüscke & Co. , Szczecin	-	-	-	order cancelled
M 176	Nüscke & Co. , Szczecin	October 26, 1918	April 24, 1919	-	order cancelled

Shallow minesweepers FM 1 – FM 66

Surname	Shipyard	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning	comment
FM 1	Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde
FM 2	Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde	July 6, 1918	August 24, 1918	† September 1939	In 1920 sold to the Polish Navy via Denmark: Minesweeper Czajka , sold in 1932, sunk in September 1939 and then broken up.
FM 3	Joh. C. Tecklenborg , Geestemünde
FM 4	Joh. C. Tecklenborg , Geestemünde
FM 5	Frerichswerft , Einswarden
FM 6
FM 7
FM 8	HC Stülcken Sohn , Hamburg
FM 9
FM 10
FM 11	Sachsenberg-Werke , Rosslau
FM 12	Sachsenberg-Werke , Rosslau
FM 13	Union foundry , Koenigsberg	July 20, 1918	October 7, 1918	× August 30, 1944	Sold to Romania, last in service there as Socratis , bought by the Navy in 1941, renamed UJ 116 Xanten , sunk in the Black Sea itself
FM 14	Union foundry , Koenigsberg
FM 15	Dresdener Maschinenfabrik, Dresden
FM 16	Dresdener Maschinenfabrik, Dresden	1919	-	A 1935	Sold to the Albanian Navy via Italy in 1925 . There in service as the gunboat Shqipnia, retired in 1935, broken up until 1939.
FM 17	Meyer shipyard , Papenburg
FM 18	Meyer shipyard , Papenburg
FM 19	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde	February 23, 1918	March 14, 1918	A 1936	1922 to Portugal, where it served as Raúl Cascais first as a ferry, and in 1924 as a fishing protection boat in the Navy. Retired in 1936, scrapped in 1937.
FM 20	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde
FM 21	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde	December 14, 1918	April 1, 1919	A.	From 1922 to 1928 as a sounding boat with the Reichsmarine, sold in 1930, acquired by the SA in 1933 and used as a prison ( ghost ship ). Laid up in Bremen from 1939 to 1944 and destroyed there in an air raid on October 24, 1944.
FM 22	Seebeck shipyard, Geestemünde
FM 23	Frerichswerft, Einswarden	1918	December 25, 1918	A 1935	Sold to the Albanian Navy via Italy in 1925 . In service there as the Skënderbeu gunboat , retired in 1935, scrapped until 1939.
FM 24	Frerichswerft, Einswarden
FM 25	Shipbuilding company Unterweser , Lehe
FM 26	Shipbuilding company Unterweser , Lehe
FM 27	Wollheim shipyard , Breslau	1918	-	A 1931	1920 sold to the Polish Navy via Denmark: minesweeper Jaskółka . Retired and sold in 1931. Remaining unclear.
FM 28	Wollheim shipyard , Breslau	1918	-	† September 14, 1939	1920 sold to the Polish Navy via Denmark: minesweeper Mewa . Converted to the survey ship Pomorzanin in 1934 , sunk by the German Air Force on September 14, 1939.
FM 29	Nobiskrug , Rendsburg
FM 30	Lübeck mechanical engineering company , Lübeck
FM 31	Lübeck mechanical engineering company , Lübeck	1919	-	A 1931	In 1920 sold to the Polish Navy via Denmark: Rybitwa minesweeper . Retired in 1931 and then scrapped.
FM 32	Sachsenberg-Werke, Rosßlau
FM 33	North Sea Works , Emden
FM 34	North Sea Works , Emden
FM 35	Union foundry, Koenigsberg
FM 36	Oderwerke , Stettin
FM 37	Shipbuilding company Unterweser, Lehe
FM 38
FM 39
FM 40		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 41		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 42	Rickmers shipyard , Geestermünde
FM 43		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 44		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 45	Henry Koch shipyard , Lübeck	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 46		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 47		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 48	Meyer shipyard, Papenburg
FM 49
FM 50
FM 51	Janssen & Schmilinsky , Hamburg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 52		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 53		-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 54	Kremer shipyard , Elmshorn
FM 55	Kremer shipyard , Elmshorn
FM 56	Wollheim shipyard, Breslau
FM 57	Wollheim shipyard, Breslau
FM 58	Dresdener Maschinenfabrik, Dresden	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 59	Dresdener Maschinenfabrik, Dresden	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 60	Nobiskrug, Rendsburg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 61	Nobiskrug, Rendsburg	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 62	Joh. Thormählen & Co. , Elmshorn
FM 63	JW Klawitter , Danzig	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 64	JW Klawitter , Danzig	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 65	Nüscke & Co. , Szczecin	-	-	-	never finished, canceled
FM 66	Nüscke & Co. , Szczecin	-	-	-	never finished, canceled

literature

Erich Gröner : The German warships 1815-1945 Volume 2: Torpedo boats, destroyers, speed boats, minesweepers, mine clearance boats , Bernard & Graefe, Bonn 1999, ISBN 3-7637-4801-6 .
Paul Köppen: The Wars at Sea 1914–1918. The surface forces and their technology. ES Mittler & Sohn 1930.

Web links

Commons : Katori class - collection of images, videos and audio files

Minesweepers of the Imperial Navy on german-navy.de