- Yes
- No
Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I present to you a minesweeper, part of the wave of ships of this type designed just after World War II. I present to you the Sirius M701.
The Sirius (M701) is a Sirius-class minesweeper, built in the early 1950s for the French Navy. Laid down in 1951 and commissioned in 1954, it belongs to a series of specialized vessels designed to ensure the security of French maritime approaches and major trade routes against the threat of naval mines, which was still very present after the Second World War. Designed from wood and non-magnetic alloys to limit the risk of mine triggering, these vessels were relatively compact but robust, with a light armament of 20 mm cannons and machine guns, sufficient for self-defense. The Sirius takes its name from the brightest star in the sky, in keeping with the tradition of naming minesweepers with names related to astronomy.
The Sirius (M701) was primarily deployed for minesweeping and neutralization missions in French coastal waters, but also during NATO exercises, illustrating the importance of mine warfare during the Cold War. She also carried out maritime surveillance missions and trained crews in mine countermeasures. Like other ships of her class, she participated in international exercises, strengthening naval cooperation in Western Europe. Decommissioned in the 1970s, the Sirius marked the transition from the first post-war minesweepers to the new generation of more modern minehunters, such as the Tripartites. Her career demonstrates the strategic importance of mine warfare in French naval defense in the second half of the 20th century.
Characteristics
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Length : 46.4 m
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Width : 8.60 m
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Draft : 2.50 m
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Mass : 424 tons
The ship is powered by two Rateau-Bretagne gas turbines and a diesel generator, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 15 knots and cover a maximum distance of 3,000 nautical miles at a speed of 10 knots. The crew consists of 38 sailors.
Equipment
- DRBN-31 navigation radar
Weapons
- Guns :
- 1 x 40mm Mk3
- 1 x 20mm Mk4
The 40mm cannon is mounted on the forward platform, and the 20mm cannon is positioned behind the funnel to cover the ship’s rear. It should be noted that the 20mm cannon on the rear deck was not always mounted in order to facilitate mine sweeping operations.
The ship is also equipped with a minesweeping system to counter and destroy acoustic, mechanical, and magnetic mines.
The Sirius would bring an interesting ship to the low Br coastal tree for France, indeed, with its moderate firepower and low speed, the ship would be easy to balance and would bring to the top ranks of the French tree a ship of greater tonnage than the small patrol boats currently composing it. In addition, if the minesweeping equipment were modeled in the game, this would add an interesting aspect to this ship, allowing it to clear certain access routes for other ships.