On the way to operational readiness

The Royal Navy's fifth and newest offshore patrol vessel has taken another step towards operational capability. For the first time since its commissioning, the HMS Spey the Solent. On 7 January, the flag was changed from Blue Ensign to White Ensign, making the ship officially a unit of the British Navy. Just recently, the Ready for Sea Date Inspection was successfully completed. This allowed the crew under Ben Evans to start the next phase of testing and training. Fleet Operational Sea Training still has to be passed later this year before the ship can be deployed.
The second generation of the River-class (Batch 2) comprises five units. With HMS Forth the first was put into service in April 2018. Two of the three Batch 1 ships built in the noughties were reintegrated into the fleet after a short period out of service. Another ship, specially modified for service in the South Atlantic, was sold to Bahrain.
While the Batch 1 patrol boats are used for fisheries surveillance in the waters around the British Isles, the new Batch 2 units will also be deployed overseas. Their tasks will include maritime security duties and disaster relief.
The new boats are 90 metres long and displace 2000 tonnes. Their modest armament includes machine guns and a 30-millimetre Bushmaster cannon from MSI Defence Systems. A flight deck is available that is suitable for landing a Merlin helicopter. In addition to the 58-strong crew, a further 50 people can be embarked.

Text: mb; Photo: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright