RN Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) - River Class

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Well recent history has shown the result of "Spitting Dummies out of prams " and its ultimate cost if allowed to escalate...

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Navy Lookout

hms mersey in refit in Falmouth has now received the same WWII Western Approaches paint scheme as her sister ships
hms tyne hms severn.

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Costs and locations of British patrol ship deployments

The UK’s offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are deployed worldwide, with HMS Mersey, HMS Severn, and HMS Tyne in the UK, HMS Forth in the South Atlantic, HMS Medway in Gibraltar, HMS Trent in the Caribbean, and HMS Tamar and HMS Spey in the Indo-Pacific.

These vessels are split into two batches: Batch 1, constructed by Vosper Thorneycroft in Southampton, includes HMS Mersey, HMS Severn, and HMS Tyne. Batch 2, built by BAE Systems on the Clyde, comprises HMS Forth, HMS Medway, HMS Trent, HMS Tamar, and HMS Spey.

Financial details reveal a contract value of £378 million for Batch 1 vessels and £635 million for Batch 2. The annual running and maintenance costs for all OPVs in the financial year 2022-23 stood at £54.122 million and £51.250 million, respectively.

The information came to light in the following response to a Parliamentary Written Question.

James Cartlidge, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, stated:

“The offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) are currently deployed as follows:

HMS Mersey, HMS Severn and HMS Tyne are all in the UK
HMS Forth is in the South Atlantic with British Forces South Atlantic Islands
HMS Medway is in Gibraltar
HMS Trent is in the Caribbean
HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are in the Indo-Pacific

HMS Mersey, HMS Severn and HMS Tyne are Batch 1 vessels, built by Vosper Thorneycroft at Southampton.
HMS Forth, HMS Medway, HMS Trent, HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are Batch 2 vessels, built at BAE Systems’ shipyards on the Clyde.

It is not possible to give a purchase cost for individual vessels, however the Contract value for the two Batches were:
The contract for the three Batch 1 vessels had a value of £378 million.
The contract for the five Batch 2 vessels had a value of £635 million.
i) The annual running costs for all OPVs for Financial Year (FY) 2022-23 was £54.122 million. ii) The maintenance costs for all OPVs for FY 2022-23 was £51.250 million.”

See article at - https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/costs-a ... ployments/ - For links within.

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HMS TYNE arriving on the Tyne this morning.

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HMS Medway, [The Grey Lion] cold moved out of dry dock in Gibraltar.
@GibdockLtd
Sporting new dazzle paint scheme and Lion artwork (derived from the City of Rochester coat of arms in the ship's badge)

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Navy Lookout
Close-up of new lion decal on HMS Medway completing maintenance period in Gibraltar
(Lion from the City of Rochester coat of arms that features on the ship's badge)

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Royal Navy: Portsmouth ship HMS Tamar carries out training in New Zealand ahead of illegal fishing mission

Royal Navy crews are gearing up for an intensive mission protecting fishing stocks off the coast of New Zealand.

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defen ... nd-4558367 - LFT

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Patrol vessel HMS Spey shows off her Puma drone capabilities for the first time

HMS Spey has been proving her remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) capability for the first time during her visit to the Indo-Pacific.

The Royal Navy ship is in Japan for her most recent deployment, and has been training with her Puma unmanned aircraft system.

The crew have been launching the drones by hand into the air from the deck of the second-generation River-class offshore patrol vessel.

Continues https://www.forces.net/services/navy/pa ... uJkpPzhlUj

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HMS Mersey in Falmouth drydock for dazzle paint scheme

HMS Mersey, a River Class Patrol vessel, has emerged after many months in Falmouth drydock sporting her new ‘Western Approaches’ colour scheme.

Mersey has undergone a major modernisation refit which included a complete strip down of her engines, interior work to the accommodation and other areas.

The combination of blue-grey and green-grey on a background of white and light grey was first applied to destroyer HMS Broke in 1940 and was subsequently ‘worn’ by ships operating in the namesake approaches – extending about 1,000 miles from the UK into the Atlantic – to make it difficult for German U-boat commanders to spot them, especially in heavy seas.

Continues https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/2 ... nt-scheme/

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Patrol ship HMS Spey arrives in Japan

Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey recently hosted notable military dignitaries while docked at Yokosuka Base in Japan, signalling continued cooperation between international naval forces.

The ship patrols international waters, focusing on securing and monitoring them. View the original tweet here.

HMS Spey’s current presence in Yokosuka marks a significant milestone—it is the first naval port visit facilitated under the new Japan-UK Facilitation Agreement.

Continues https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/patrol- ... -in-japan/