Destroyer minesweeper was a designation given by the United States Navy to a series of destroyers that were converted into high-speed ocean-going minesweepers for service during World War II. The hull classification symbol for this type of ship was "DMS." Forty-two ships were so converted, beginning with USS Dorsey (DD-117), converted to DMS-1 in late 1940, and ending with USS Earle (DD-635), converted to DMS-42 in mid-1945. The type is now obsolete, its function having been taken over by purpose-built ships, designated as "minesweeper (high-speed)" with the hull classification symbol MMD.
Minesweeper USS Hovey, June 1942, pre-conversion, 4 smokestacks, and 4" guns front and rear, around 8 x 50 cal AA guns
WWII paravane
How a bow-attached paravane cuts a moored mine
Cutting a moored mine. A paravane and kite replace the "Otter" and "Depressor", with the paravane doing the cutting
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping.
Minesweeper J 636 underway in British coastal waters during World War II
A minesweeper cutting loose moored mines
Magnetic naval minesweeper as a monument in Kotka, Finland
Siegburg, a modern Ensdorf-class minesweeper of the German Navy
