German Mine Sweeping Administration The German Mine Sweeping Administration ( GMSA ) was formed from former crews and vessels of the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " for the purpose of mine sweeping after the Second World War , predominantly in the North Sea and Baltic Sea , and existed from June 1945 to January 1948 . History . The GMSA was formed on 21 June 1945 under allied supervision , specifically that of the Royal Navy , to clear naval mines in the North Sea and Baltic . It was made up of 27 , 000 former members of the " Kriegsmarine " on nearly 300 vessels . The allied command was well aware of the problem caused for commercial shipping by the over 600 , 000 naval mines laid in the seas of Western , Northern and Eastern Europe and had asked that the German mine sweeping formations not be dismissed after the surrender in May 1945 . For this reason , Vice Admiral Sir Harold Burrough , British Naval Commander - in - Chief , Germany , undersigned the instruction for the GMSA in June 1945 . The British Admiralty preferred to risk German sailors rather than their own to do the dangerous work . The GMSA was originally under the command of Commodore H . T . England ; below him , as the highest ranking German officer , was Konteradmiral Fritz Krauss , who had been in charge of mine sweeping operations during the war . The German sailors initially served in their Second World War uniforms , with the German Eagle and the Swastika removed , and under the same rules and regulations as were valid in the " Kriegsmarine " . The sailors were paid a moderate wage and had the right to take local leave , unlike other German POW ' s , but service was not voluntary . Still , the daily , dangerous operations and the resulting high esprit de corps lead to increasing uneasiness about the GMSA , especially among the Soviet Union . The service was sub - divided into six mine sweeping divisions ( German : " Räumbootdivisionen " ) . The German headquarters of the service were located in Glückstadt . On 25 May 1946 , the GMSA was equipped with new blue work uniforms and special rank insignia , worn on the sleeve . The headquarters of the GMSA were moved to Hamburg in December 1947 and disbanded in January 1948 , despite US objections . The reason for its disbanding was primarily pressure from the Soviet Union who feared the GMSA was an attempt by the western allies to re - form the German " Kriegsmarine " , something the Royal Navy bitterly opposed themselves . The " Reichsmarine " had used mine sweeping operations after the First World War to preserve a talent pool of officers and the Royal Navy wanted to avoid a repeat of this experience . The " German mine sweeping formation Cuxhaven " , a civilian organisation , replaced the GMSA , still under British control and using equipment and personnel of the previous organisation . One of the few large surface ships of the " Kriegsmarine " to survive the war , the light cruiser " Leipzig " , in fairly bad condition , served as an accommodation hulk for the GMSA . Divisions . The GMSA was sub - divided into six regional divisions of varying strength : Ships . As of early 1947 , the service consisted of the following ships and vessels :