NavSource Photo Archives:

Minelayer (CM)
Fleet Minelayer (MMF)
Minelaying Submarine (SM)
Index

Designed for deep water offensive minelaying, all the Navy's Minelayers (CM), with the exception of one, were converted from old cruisers or coastal passenger ships. Some, before or upon commissioning as minelayers, were rerated for other duties. Terror (CM-5) was and still is the Navy's only "built for purpose" minelayer. A primary reason for the lack of surface minelayers in the U.S. Navy was the invention of radar and other search devices, which rendered the surface minelayer exceedingly vulnerable to air, surface and submarine attack.

The Minelaying Submarine was designed to lay minefields in enemy harbors and along enemy coasts without being detected. Only one minelaying submarine was ever built; for her time she was the largest submarine in the Navy. In the early 1950's it was projected to convert Picuda (SS-382) to a SM, but with the advent of more sophisticated torpedoes this plan was never carried out.
Click on ship name to view image(s) and DANFS history
Minelayer (CM), Fleet Minelayer (MMF) and Minelaying Submarine (SM) Index
Baltimore Class Minelayer
(CM-1)
CM-1 Baltimore ex-C-3
Yosemite Class Minelayer
(CM-2)
CM-2 Tahoe ex-San Francisco (C 5) Renamed Yosemite
Aroostook Class Minelayer
(CM-3 & CM-4)
CM-3 Aroostook ex-ID-1256 Reclassified AK-44
CM-4 Shawmut ex-ID-1255, Renamed/Reclassified Oglala (ARG 1)
Terror Class Minelayer
(CM-5)
CM-5 Terror Reclassified MMF-5
Catskill Class Minelayer
(CM-6 & CM-7)
CM-6 Catskill ex-AP-106 Reclassified LSV-1
CM-7 Ozark Reclassified AP-107
Keokuk Class Minelayer
(CM-8)
CM-8 Keokuk ex-AN-5, Reclassified AKN-4
Monadnock Class Minelayer
(CM-9 & CM-10)
CM-9 Monadnock ex-CMc-4 Reclassified ACM-10
CM-10 Miantonomah ex-CMc-5
Salem Class Minelayer
(CM-11 & CM-12)
CM-11 Salem Renamed Shawmut
CM-12 Weehawken
V-4 Class Minelaying Submarine
(SM-1)
SM-1 Argonaut ex-V-4 (SF 7) Reclassified APS-1
Civilian Vessels (ID)
ID-1687 Quinnebaug
ID-1694 Canandaigua
ID-1695 Roanoke
ID-1696 Canonicus
ID-1697 Housatonic
ID-1702 Saranac
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