Lewin of Greenwich Naval History & Forum

Pelican wrote: ↑Sun Sep 24, 2023 10:31 pm Royal Navy: Advanced ship to be used to repel Russia and protect UK from "existential threat to security"

A hi-tech ship is going to be utilised by the Royal Navy to repel Russia.

See - https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defen ... ty-4346944 - LFT

[Catching up at the back.]

See - https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2023/02 ... e-services

And - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... d-63326102

RFA Proteus heading up the Thames ahead of her formal naming ceremony on Tuesday.

Reminders 0 https://www.navylookout.com/tag/mros

Comment from - Engaging Strategy
Any information on the systems she'll carry beyond the EIVA ROTV & Pr. HECLA Teledyne Marine AUVs already procured/on order? In commercial service they carried pretty heavy duty equipment.
Unsure if the orange rig is a saturation diving setup? & W-ROV in the superstructure bay.
See 2 images attached.

Proteus alongside HMS Belfast - photos from Tim.

A guide to RFA Proteus – the UK’s new seabed warfare vessel

As the first Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) ship is formally named and brought into service today, we have compiled a basic guide to the ship and its potential future operations.

MV Topaz Tangaroa arrived at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead in January 2023 and finally left the yard after a somewhat delayed conversion process on 16th September. Formerly flying a flag of convenience, RFA Proteus is now registered in the UK and operating under Maritime and Coastguard (MCA) safety regulations which complicated the ‘light-touch’ conversion. Besides being entirely painted in Pusser’s grey, much improving her appearance, it is believed she has received military communications equipment. No light self-protection armament has yet been fitted but this may be added at a later date.

She conducted a brief workup off Portland before arriving in London, coming alongside HMS Belfast on the evening of 6th October ahead of the official naming ceremony. Her initial period in service will be limited as she will need to return to Merseyside by the end of the year to be dry-docked for her Lloyds survey inspection which is due every 5 years. This will probably be undertaken in parallel with additional capability insertion work.

RFA Proteus will be dedicated to safeguarding Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) following increasing concern about the vulnerability of communications cables and energy pipelines to interference by hostile states. MROS a high-profile project for the Navy, was initiated under the guidance of former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace who understandably cancelled the National Flagship project in favour of MROS. Despite being a ‘good news story’ with significant public resonance, in a bizarre communications management decision, the MoD has excluded journalists from visiting the ship or covering the naming ceremony.

Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/a-guide-to- ... re-vessel/

Navy Lookout

As news breaks of another undersea pipeline sabotage...

Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship RFA Proteus was formally named today in the presence of HRH Prince Edward and the ship's sponsor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty.
Video at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3299427660

Pelican wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 3:56 pm Navy Lookout

As news breaks of another undersea pipeline sabotage...

Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship RFA Proteus was formally named today in the presence of HRH Prince Edward and the ship's sponsor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty.
Video at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3299427660

See - viewtopic.php?p=31431&sid=bd92cbce23a5d ... cd8#p31431

Pelican wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:21 pm

Pelican wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2023 3:56 pm Navy Lookout

As news breaks of another undersea pipeline sabotage...

Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance ship RFA Proteus was formally named today in the presence of HRH Prince Edward and the ship's sponsor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murty.
Video at - https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/ ... 3299427660

See - viewtopic.php?p=31431&sid=bd92cbce23a5d ... cd8#p31431

Also see - https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... A_NNMWeg4k

New British underwater surveillance vessel enters service

RFA Proteus, dedicated to underwater surveillance in areas of UK sovereign interest, has been welcomed into the fleet.
RFA Proteus will function as the base for remotely-operated vehicles and boasts a range of specialist capabilities analogous to those in the oil and gas sectors.

Continues at - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/new-bri ... LZRXfldQCg

The future of British seapower is ships like RFA Proteus

Docked alongside HMS Belfast in the Pool of London, the futuristic RFA Proteus astonishes with a bridge so advanced it rivals the starship Enterprise.

I was lucky enough to see the ship this week, and its presence was striking—an auxiliary ship appearing massive next to the famed World War II cruiser; I did not expect that.

Upon invitation, I boarded RFA Proteus for an exclusive tour with colleagues from other defence news websites. The first stop on the tour was the flight deck, posed awkwardly at the top of the ship, a hangover from her commercial days. The impression here is that there’s no real use for it aside from helping to evacuate any potential casualties, which is, of course, very important.

The bridge, which was remarkable, was the second stop. One bridge area is dedicated to traditional ship control, while the other oversees operational activities during missions involving remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). The large screens and advanced equipment recalled the Starship Enterprise, and her commercial heritage is on full display here.

Continnues https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/the-fut ... a-proteus/