700-001 ASCOT CLASS MINESWEEPER

Ascot (or Racecourse) is the name of a class of British World War I minesweepers that were built between 1916 and 1918. A single ship of this type was approximately 72 meters long, with a maximum width of 18 meters (including paddle wheels). The displacement did not exceed 830 tons, and the maximum speed was around 14-15 knots. The armament mostly consisted of 2 76.2 mm cannons or a single 76.2 mm cannon and 3 47 mm AA cannons. Ascot-class ships were built for the Royal Navy as part of the Emergency War Program. As the goal was to make them as cheap and easy to produce as possible from the beginning, it was decided to use a rather outdated drive using side paddle wheels. They were dedicated to coastal activities, especially in their home waters, and thus their seaworthiness was rather limited. These units were built especially in small British shipyards, before the Great War, dealing mainly with the creation of civilian units. Despite their simplicity and low technological advancement, they did their job well and provided considerable services in ensuring the safety of cabotage shipping around the British Isles in the period 1916-1918.