UK: Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship for Seabed Warfare

At the beginning of the year, the Royal Navy acquired the offshore supply/construction vessel TANGAROA TOPAZ and had it refitted and repainted at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead near Liverpool as its first multi-role ocean surveillance ship. It was now commissioned in mid-October under the name RFA PROTEUS as a multi-role ocean surveillance ship with the task of seabed warfare. The Royal Navy has not yet made a clear statement on the deployment concept. Is it only to be deployed reactively in the event of suspicious incidents and to repair damage to critical infrastructure? Or will it be used proactively and as a deterrent by being present in the sea area and using its new equipment to search for anomalies on the seabed? More is known about the technical components with which the PROTEUS has been equipped in the meantime under the advice of civilian salvage specialists and military underwater operation teams: Three  Kongsberg Hugin Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles for depths of up to 6000 metres, several configurable Teledyne Gavia sensor carrier UUVs for depths of up to 1000 metres, VideoRay Defender ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) modular manipulators for demanding underwater work, small Hydroid Remus UUVs already in service with the Navy's shallow-water mine countermeasures and a ScanFish containerised towed vehicle under contract. This impressive toolkit suggests that the Royal Navy is now really serious about seabed warfare. The video shows the almost 100 metre long, 6000 tonne ship with its 1000 square metre deck area and a central, vertically arranged moon pool for working in Liverpool regardless of the weather and swell. A sight that takes some getting used to - but a sign of the times!