The Royal Navy tested both the purpose-built Kingfisher class and trawler-based designs before the war. The specialist ship offered a more complete solution for coastal ASW, but commercial-style trawlers could be produced in much larger numbers by yards across Britain and the empire. Trawlers could escort coastal convoys, sweep mines, defend harbour booms, and accept simple guns and depth charges. Their fishing machinery also encouraged relatively quiet operation. Small size, shallow draught, and the ability to turn toward an incoming torpedo made them awkward targets that a submarine could not safely ignore.
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Trawlers offered a scalable coastal ASW answer
Commercial-style trawlers were less capable than purpose-built escorts but could be produced rapidly in great numbers for coastal duties.