Minesweeper specialist Nick Stanley qualified the earlier criticism of the Admirable class's 104-person complement. A sweeper in a multi-threat river or coastal environment needed separate watches, gun crews, damage-control parties, ASDIC operators, and enough people to sustain operations. Experience during Operation Neptune showed that crews of 85 to 90 could be exhausted after a week of sweeping by day and standing air, surface, and submarine watches at night. The larger establishment therefore supported endurance as well as the weapon list. The remaining concern was the number of sailors placed at risk in a minefield, but tempo and fatigue make the design choice more defensible.
Notable Point · 1:51:40-1:52:57
Why the Admirable class needed so many sailors
A minesweeper facing mines, aircraft, surface craft, and submarines needed enough sailors for watches, weapons, damage control, ASDIC, and sustained operations.