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
A warship or combatant ship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a nation. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are typically faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew. Warships usually belong to a navy, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations.
The Cannon Shot (1670) by Willem van de Velde the Younger, showing a late Dutch 17th-century ship of the line
Assyrian warship, a bireme with pointed bow circa 700 BC
Diagrams of first and third rate warships, England, 1728
A sailing corvette scale model in the Trianon model collection
