MSI Ham Type Herstal-class inshore minesweeper, BNC M471 Hasselt

Suggestions Naval
1
Would you like to see this in-game?
  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
Where would you like to see this vehicle?
  • (independent) BeNeLux tree
  • France: BeNeLux subtree
  • other
  • no/negative
0 voters

The M471 Hasselt was a Belgian MSI-class (dragueur de mines de petit fond) inshore minesweeper, laid down in November 1956 at the Mercantile Marine Yard, Kruibeke, and commissioned in April 1958. Like other vessels of her class, she was optimized for shallow-water mine clearance with a wooden hull and non-magnetic equipment. Armed with a twin 20 mm Oerlikon mount, she offered a modest yet effective anti-aircraft and close-defense capability compared to the lighter Browning-armed sister ships.

The Hasselt served with the Belgian Navy until 1970, before being transferred to the KMKK (Koninklijke Marine Kadettenkorps) Campine section as a training vessel. She is notable for her long career, serving until 1992 with upgraded radar systems, bridging Cold War Belgian naval service and cadet training traditions.

TL;DR: Belgian MSI-class minesweeper M471 Hasselt, armed with twin 20 mm Oerlikon. Served 1958–1970 with Belgian Navy, then with the KMKK until 1992 as a cadet training ship.

image

M471 Hasselt – Belgian inshore minesweeper (20 mm Oerlikon version).

History

History

The M471 Hasselt was laid down on 17 November 1956 and commissioned on 24 April 1958 (Van Beylen et al., 1972). Sponsored by the city of Hasselt, she bore the callsign ORHH. Designed for operations in rivers, estuaries, and coastal waters, her wooden hull and non-magnetic structure allowed her to counter modern influence mines.

image

In 1964, she was commanded by Lieutenant de vaisseau Willy Cornelis. Hasselt’s service with the Belgian Naval Force lasted until 11 March 1970, when she was retired from active naval duty. Later that year, on 11 September 1970, she was transferred to the KMKK Campine section (Royal Naval Cadet Corps), where she remained in use until 1992, fitted with updated Decca 1216 radar (Masset & Grimbergs, 2015).

This secondary career as a cadet training vessel gave the Hasselt one of the longest service lives among Belgian MSI-class ships.

Specifications (M471 Hasselt)

Displacement:

  • 173.12 t (freshwater, full load)
  • 177.55 t (saltwater, full load)

Dimensions:

  • Length overall: 34.44 m
  • Length between P/P: 32.46 m
  • Beam: 6.65 m (max) / 6.58 m (waterline)
  • Depth: 3.65 m
  • Draught: 1.80 m (2.10 m max)
  • Waterline length: 12.20 m

Propulsion:

  • 2 × Nuove Reggiane diesels, 2 shafts
  • 1260 hp total
  • Fuel: 18 t diesel

Speed: 15 knots
Range: 2,300 nm @ 10 knots

Crew: 18 (2 officers, 7 petty officers, 9 sailors)

Electronics:

  • Decca 707 radar (1958–1970)
  • Decca 1216 radar (1970–1992)

Armament:

  • 1 × twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun

Mine Warfare Gear: Acoustic, magnetic, and mechanical sweeps
Construction: Wooden hull, non-magnetic fittings

Place in War Thunder

Regarding nations

BeNeLux

The Hasselt would be a natural fit for a BeNeLux coastal fleet, offering a slightly better-armed MSI compared to her Browning-armed sisters.

France (BeNeLux subtree)

Alternatively, she could appear under the French tree as part of a BeNeLux subtree.

Pictures

Pictures

image

image

image

image

image
image1494×1190 145 KB

image

For sale

Sources

Sources

Anrys, H., De Decker de Brandeken, J.-M., & Eygenraam, P. (1992). De zeemacht: van de admiraliteit van Vlaanderen tot de Belgische zeemacht. Tielt.

Dragueurs de mines belges de type MSI. (2023). Wikipedia. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragueurs_de_mines_belges_de_type_MSI

NavSource Naval History. (2023). Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Retrieved September 27, 2023, from http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/0583.htm

Van Beylen, J., et al. (1972). Maritieme Encyclopedie (Vol. 5). Bussum.

Belgian Navy Forum. (n.d.). MSI mine sweeper inshore. Archived at: https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.belgian-navy.be%2Ff13-msi-mine-sweeper-inshore

Belgian MSC/MSI Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbelgian-msc-msi.doomby.com%2F