Mined Coasts : 1939 - 1945

Although up to a million mines were laid during WWII, and were a constant menace to vessels sailing in coastal waters, the general public has never been aware of the massive toll they took on both ships and lives.
From British Vessels Lost at Sea 1939-45, published by HMSO in 1947, the author has extracted those that were mined and added as much additional information as he could find about each incident, including those where the ship was damaged, but not sunk. Regrettably, in all too many cases, the information is scanty indeed, and, as that from sources sometimes differs, it is inevitable that inaccuracies will occur. Please, too, be aware that DEMS gunners, both Maritime Regiment and Royal Navy, served on British merchant ships, as did lascars, Chinese, and other foreign seamen. Although DEMS gunners signed ships’ articles as deckhands, their names are not recorded on the Tower Hill Memorial, as they were military and not Merchant Navy personnel.
A Fishing Vessel section is included.Thanks go to Mr Brian Watson/Benjidog for granting permission to use information contained in his Tower Hill Memorial website.