- Yes
- No
- (independent) BeNeLux tree
- France: BeNeLux subtree
- other
- no/negative
- 1x twin 12.7 mm Browning
- 1x twin 20 mm Oerlikon
- both versions
- other (please comment)
- no/negative
TL;DR: A Belgian Cold War MSI-class minesweeper, with twin 12.7 mm or 20 mm armament, noted for her international training cruises in the 1960s.
History
History
The M482 Visé was laid down at the Mercantile Marine Yard in Kruibeke on 9 September 1957 and commissioned into Belgian service on 11 September 1958. Like her sister ships, she was originally assigned a U.S. Navy hull number, M94, before formally joining the Force Navale as M482 Visé. Her name honored the city of Visé in the province of Liège, reflecting the Belgian tradition of pairing minehunters and sweepers with civic sponsors.
Commanded at various times by officers such as Lieutenant de vaisseau Jacques Petit (1964), Henri Jacquemin, Pierre Lanoy, Marcel Lelarge, and William Pope, the Visé spent much of her career in Belgian coastal waters, but she also became well-known as a training platform for young crews.
A notable highlight of her career came in 1969, when she undertook two major training cruises:
– From 30 April to 8 May, Visé carried out a minesweeping training deployment in the English Channel, calling at Fécamp and Brest.
– Later that year, from 11 September to 4 October, she sailed the North Sea on an extended training cruise, with port visits in Newcastle (UK), Esbjerg (Denmark), and Hamburg (Germany).These voyages not only provided essential operational training for the Belgian Navy’s mine warfare crews but also served as goodwill visits, representing Belgium in foreign ports during the Cold War.
After over thirty years of service, the M482 Visé was decommissioned in 1992 and sold to the KMKK (Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Kustvaart, Brussels), ending her naval career. Unlike some of her sister ships, her fate after civilian sale remains less well-documented.
Specifications
Displacement: 173 t (freshwater) / 178 t (seawater)
Length/Beam/Draught: 34.4 m / 6.7 m / 2.1 m
Propulsion: 2 × Nuove Reggiane diesels, 2 shafts, 1260 hp
Speed: 15 knots
Range: 2,300 nm @ 10 knots
Crew: 18 (2 officers, 7 petty officers, 9 sailors)Armament Variants:
Version Weapons Early 1 × twin 12.7 mm Browning HMG Alternate 1 × twin 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun Mine Warfare Gear: Acoustic, magnetic, and mechanical sweeps (operational depth 4–10 m)
Electronics: Radar Decca 707 (1958–1970)
Construction: Wooden hull, non-magnetic fittings
Place in War Thunder
Regarding nations
BeNeLux
The M482 Visé would fit naturally into a BeNeLux coastal fleet tree, alongside her sisters Andenne, Ougrée, and the preserved Oudenaarde. Her significance lies in her operational cruises abroad, making her a historically interesting option.
As with her sisters, she could also be placed in the French tree as part of a BeNeLux subtree, reflecting Belgium’s naval alignment during the Cold War.
Pictures
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 Sept. 27, 2023.
– Belgian MSC/MSI Archive (n.d.). Retrieved from https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbelgian-msc-msi.doomby.com%2F
– Belgian Navy Forum. MSI mine sweeper inshore. Archived at https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.belgian-navy.be%2Ff13-msi-mine-sweeper-inshore
– NavSource Naval History. Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive.