The M class were the first minesweepers of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The need for minesweepers for the Dutch marine came during the First World War when sea mines where laid in great numbers. The Navy converted four tugboats into minesweepers. The ships were built by three different shipyards; Van der Kuyk & Ree in Rotterdam, Fa. Koopman in Dordrecht, and J & A van der Schuyt in Papendrecht.