A minelayer is a naval ship used for deploying sea mines. They are typically small and fast, and often have mine hunting and sweeping capabilities as well, in which case they are known by a more general term such as "mine warfare vessel."
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.
