Crossword clues for minelayer
The Collaborative International Dictionary
minelayer \minelayer\ n. a ship equipped for laying underwater mines.
Wiktionary
n. A ship that lays mines or one designed or intended to lay mines.
WordNet
n. ship equipped for laying marine mines
Wikipedia
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term used for installing controlled mines at predetermined positions in connection with coastal fortifications or harbor approaches that would be detonated by shore control when a ship was fixed as being within the mine's effective range.
Before World War I, mine ships were termed mine planters generally. For example, in an address to the United States Navy ships of Mine Squadron One at Portland, England Admiral Sims used the term “mine layer” while the introduction speaks of the men assembled from the “mine planters”. During and after that war the term "mine planter" became particularly associated with defensive coastal fortifications. The term "minelayer" was applied to vessels deploying both defensive- and offensive mine barrages and large scale sea mining. "Minelayer" lasted well past the last common use of "mine planter" in the late 1940s.
An army's special-purpose combat engineering vehicles used to lay landmines are sometimes called "minelayers".
Usage examples of "minelayer".
The Jerries had probably sewn a new net of mines in the Bristol Channel or outside Swansea harbour either by minelayer or aircraft - nothing more or less than routine.
Pederson had every minelayer in the system employed in the frantic placement of more mines and platforms.
Repair ship Vestal badly damaged, minelayer Oglala sunk, seaplane tender Curtiss damaged, miscellaneous auxiliary Utah capsized.
Endeavour was not what she appeared, and like a few sister ships was in fact a fast minelayer, her belly usually packed with a lethal cargo of some four hundred mines.
Endeavour was so fast, in spite of her size, that her escort of four fleet destroyers had been hard put to keep up, even when the minelayer had reduced to her economical cruising speed.
Some old Army married quarters had been converted into accommodation for the naval party while the chariots, which had travelled from England in the belly of the big minelayer, were transferred to a small depot-ship with all the necessary facilities, and a fine machine shop for the artificers and torpedomen.
Fourthly, we are sending a minelayer with various supplies to Archangel.
This severe but indispensable work cost the Navy one minelayer, two destroyers, and twenty-two other naval vessels sunk, besides eighteen seriously damaged.
The two minelayers were indicated on the map, already well into the British-swept channel and approaching the German sweep.
Irish coast model, via the wall map which revealed that the two minelayers had moved into the gap of the German-swept channel.
No, the problem was that there were only so many minelayers, and their crews, however skilled, could physically position weapons only so quickly.
Looking across the anchorage, through the low day, he could see a clutch of small craft, minesweepers, minelayers and two torpedo boats, with a large motherly vessel alongside.
Sostish minelayers plied that corridor now, seeding it with langrage the size of skimcraft.
The minelayers, however, were just sitting around with their collective thumbs up their butts.
Its principle will greatly resemble that of the floating mines dropped by minelayers in the World War of forty years ago.