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A naval minelayer can vary considerably in size, from coastal boats of several hundred tonnes in Displacement to Destroyer -like ships of several thousand tonnes in displacement. Apart from their loads of sea mines, most would also carry other weapons for self defence. Submarine s can also act as minelayers; USS Argonaut (SS-166) was one such minelaying submarine.

Probably the most famous minelayer in history is the Turkish Navy 's '' Nusrat '', active during the Gallipoli Campaign of the First World War . ''Nusrat'' laid the mines that sank HMS ''Irresistible'' , HMS ''Ocean'' , and the French battleship '' Bouvet '' in the Dardanelles on 18 March , 1915 . Efficient was also the Russian minelayer ''Amur'', which sunk Japanese battleships ''Hatsuse'' and ''Yashima'' in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War .

In modern times, most navies worldwide no longer possess any minelaying vessels; the United States Navy , for example, nowadays use Aircraft to lay sea mines instead. A few navies still have minelayers in commission; these include South Korea , Norway , Sweden and Finland , countries with long, shallow coastlines where sea mines are most effective.