BNS Anushandhan

Last updated

HMS Roebuck (H130).jpg
HMS Roebuck at HMNB Devonport Navy Days, 26 August 2006
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Roebuck
Operator Royal Navy
Builder Brooke Marine, Lowestoft
Laid down447
Launched14 November 1985
Sponsored byLady Cassels, wife of Admiral Cassels, last commander of the previous HMS Roebuck
CompletedAugust 1986
Commissioned3 October 1986
Decommissioned15 April 2010
Homeport HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Identification
FateSold to Bangladesh Navy in 2010
Naval Ensign of Bangladesh.svgBangladesh
NameBNS Anushandhan
Operator Bangladesh Navy
Acquired28 May 2010
Commissioned29 December 2010
Homeport Chittagong
Identification
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Displacement1,477 tonnes
Length64.01 m (210.0 ft)
Beam13.03 m (42.7 ft)
Draught4 m (13 ft)
Depth6.13 m (20.1 ft)
Propulsion
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement52
Armament
NotesPennant number: H-584

BNS Anushandhan is a survey vessel of the Bangladesh Navy. She previously served with the Royal Navy as the coastal survey vessel HMS Roebuck (H130) from 3 October 1986 to 15 April 2010. She was the last traditional survey ship to serve in the Royal Navy. In 2010, she was sold to the Bangladesh Navy. She was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on 28 May 2010. On 1 June 2010 she sailed for Bangladesh. She is the first dedicated hydrographic survey ship to serve with Bangladesh Navy.

Contents

Building

Brooke Marine built the ship at Lowestoft, Suffolk, launching her on 14 November 1985 and completing her in August 1986. She has twin screws, each powered by an eight-cylinder Mirrlees Blackstone diesel engine. [1]

Royal Navy service

20mm Gambo Cannon Firing on HMS Roebuck, 2010 (MOD) 20mm Gambo Cannon Firing MOD 45151578.jpg
20mm Gambo Cannon Firing on HMS Roebuck, 2010 (MOD)

Although nominally used for surveying along the United Kingdom continental shelf, with the downsizing of the survey fleet, Roebuck was enhanced to enable her to operate overseas. She was fitted with a full suite of hydrographic sensors, and a Survey Motor Boat for inshore work. In addition, as with the other vessels of the survey squadron, she could also operate as a support ship for mine warfare vessels. Roebuck was due to be decommissioned in 2003 following the entry into service of the Echo class. However, the decision was then taken to keep the ship in service until 2014, though this was later revised in December 2009 to a 2010 decommissioning. [2] It was declared that the ship had been sold to the Bangladesh Navy for £5 million. [3] Her last commanding officer was Lieutenant-Commander Richard Bird.

Iraq War

Roebuck was the first RN ship into Umm Qasr Port following the second Gulf War. The work she carried out prior to, and during, the war proved invaluable, allowing coalition ships to operate closer to shore than previously thought possible, and reducing helicopter flying time by ten minutes per sortie during the landings.

Roebuck completed a Ship Life Extension Period (refit) towards the end of 2005, and then deployed to the Mediterranean, returning to the UK in April 2006. Roebuck then deployed to East Africa in June 2006, returning on Monday 21 August 2006. Upon arrival in August, the crew had barely a few hours' notice before the ship was placed on display at HMNB Devonport Navy Days 2006 as the representative of the Hydrographic Squadron after HMS Enterprise could not attend.

During 2008 Roebuck acted as the Command Platform for the NATO minehunting group SNMCMG1 (NATO Standing Naval Mine Countermeasures Group 1).

Decommissioning from Royal Navy Service

It was announced on 16 December 2009, that Roebuck would be decommissioned in 2010. [2] She was decommissioned at HMNB Devonport on 15 April 2010. She was handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on 28 May and sailed on 1 June 2010. [3]

Affiliations (UK)

Her affiliations according to her official website were:-

The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire, TS Roebuck, the sea cadet unit based at Norton Manor Camp in Taunton in Somerset, and 130 (Bournemouth) Squadron of the Air Training Corps.

Bangladesh Navy service

The ship reached Chittagong on 23 July 2010 under the command of the then Commander Nayeem Golam Muktadir. [4] On her way to Bangladesh, the ship visited ports of Gibraltar, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Oman and Sri Lanka. She was commissioned to the Bangladesh Navy on 29 December 2010. She played an important role to secure the maritime boundary verdict against Myanmar and India by supplying accurate data.

Equipment

The ship is fitted with a full suite of hydrographic sensors. She also carries a survey motor boat for inshore work. In October 2011 she was fitted with shallow-water multibeam echo-sounder. Its four Mirrlees Blackstone ES8 supercharged diesel engines can drive twin controllable pitch propellers via two gearboxes.

Mission

The mission of this ship is to maintain the marine environment and navigability of the rivers, delimitate the maritime boundary and preserve the coastal area by collecting the necessary information and statistical data. She will also play a significant role in research activities and extraction of marine resources. She can also act as a support ship for mine warfare vessels.

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Ocean</i> (L12) 1998 unique amphibious assault ship of the Royal Navy

HMS Ocean was a Landing Platform Helicopter, formerly the UK's helicopter carrier and the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. She was designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force. She was constructed in the mid-1990s by Kvaerner Govan on the River Clyde and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness prior to trials and subsequent acceptance in service. Ocean was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port HMNB Devonport, Plymouth.

HMS <i>Cornwall</i> (F99) 1988 Type 22 or Broadsword class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Cornwall was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was the first Batch 3 to be built, and the last to decommissioned. Cornwall was based at HMNB Devonport in Devon, England, part of the Devonport Flotilla.

HMS <i>Richmond</i> (F239) 1995 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Richmond is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 6 April 1993 by Lady Hill-Norton, wife of the late Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Hill-Norton, and was the last warship to be built by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders. She sailed from the builders on the River Tyne in November 1994. She is named for the Dukedom of Richmond.

<i>Albion</i>-class landing platform dock Type of amphibious warfare ship in service with the Royal Navy

The Albion-class landing platform dock is a class of amphibious warfare ship in service with the Royal Navy. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, ordered in 1996 to replace the ageing Fearless class. Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Albion was commissioned in 2003 and Bulwark in 2004. Each of the ships has a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops. Thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles and main battle tanks can be carried inside the vehicle deck. To disembark troops and vehicles, the vessels are equipped with eight landing craft. As of 2024, both vessels were in reserve.

HMS <i>Bulwark</i> (L15) 2005 Albion-class landing platform dock of the Royal Navy

HMS Bulwark is the second ship of the Royal Navy's Albion-class assault ships. She is one of the United Kingdom's two landing platform docks designed to put Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea.

<i>Echo</i>-class survey ship (2002)

The Echo class was a class of multi-purpose hydrographic survey ships in commission with the Royal Navy. The ships were primarily tasked with conducting survey work in support of submarine and amphibious operations, however, the class also has a secondary role in mine countermeasures. The two vessels of the class were the most recent additions to the Royal Navy's Hydrographic Squadron. Each ship displaced approximately 3,700 tonnes, and was equipped with a state of the art suite of equipment. The lead ship of the class, HMS Echo, was retired in 2022 and her sister ship in 2023.

HMS <i>Enterprise</i> (H88) Royal Navy multi-role survey vessel

HMS Enterprise, the tenth ship to bear this name, was a multi-role survey vessel - hydrographic oceanographic (SVHO) of the Royal Navy along with HMS Echo that made up the Echo class of survey vessels.

HMS <i>Dumbarton Castle</i> (P265)

HMS Dumbarton Castle (P265) was an offshore patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy. Her main role was the protection of the offshore assets of the United Kingdom, including oil and gas installations and fisheries out to the 200-nautical-mile limit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commander-in-Chief Fleet</span>

The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Naval Service. In its last years, as the Navy shrank, more administrative responsibilities were added.

USS <i>Bailey</i> (DD-269) Clemson-class destroyer

The second USS Bailey (DD-269) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy and transferred to the Royal Navy where she served as HMS Reading (G71) during World War II.

HMNZS <i>Resolution</i>

HMNZS Resolution (A14) was a hydrographic ship of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). Originally the United States Naval Ship USNS Tenacious (T-AGOS-17), the Stalwart-class ocean surveillance ship was used by the United States to locate and track Soviet submarines from 1989 to 1997, when she was transferred to the RNZN for use as a hydrographic survey ship. She served until 27 April 2012. She was subsequently sold to EGS Group, a private surveying company, and renamed RV Geo Resolution.

HMS <i>Grimsby</i> (M108) Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy

HMS Grimsby was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy, serving from 1999–2022, and the second ship to bear the name.

HMS <i>Biter</i> (P270) Archer-class patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Biter is an Archer-class P2000-type patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy. She is assigned to Manchester & Salford Universities Royal Naval Unit, a Royal Naval Reserve unit based in Manchester. The ship is based at HMS Eaglet, the Royal Naval Headquarters in Liverpool. As part of her sea training programme, she often makes visits to local ports for ceremonial visits or occasions.

HMS Iveston was a Ton-class minesweeper of the Royal Navy launched on 1 June 1954 by Philip and Son in Dartmouth. After her decommissioning in 1992, HMS Iveston became the Sea Cadet training ship T.S. Iveston. She was sold and scrapped in March 2015.

The Khulna Shipyard Limited(Bengali: খুলনা শিপইয়ার্ড লিমিটেড) is a Bangladeshi state owned defense contractor based in Khulna, Bangladesh. It is located on 68.97 acres (27.91 ha) of land at Labanchara, Khulna, Bangladesh. It is about 45 km north from the Port of Mongla. The shipyard has the capacity to build steel / aluminium ships up to 90 m length and 700 tons lightweight. The shipyard has a slipway with a capacity to dock and undock vessels up to 700 tons lightweight and overall length of 84 meters.

BNS <i>Shaheed Ruhul Amin</i> (1994)

BNS Shaheed Ruhul Amin was an Island-class offshore patrol vessel of the Bangladesh Navy used as a training ship. She was built and served as a Royal Navy Island-class patrol vessel HMS Jersey (P295) from 1977 to 1993.

<i>Sandhayak</i>-class survey ship (1981)

The Sandhayak-class survey ships are a series of eight vessels built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and Goa Shipyard, Ltd., Vasco for the Indian Navy. While Sandhayak, Investigator, Nirdeshak, Nirupak were built in GRSE; Sarveshak, Jamuna, Darshak, Sutlej were built by Goa Shipyard. The vessels equipped with four survey motor boats, two small boats and are powered by two diesel engines with a top speed of 16 knots. They have a helicopter deck and are also armed with a Bofors 40 mm/60 gun mount for self-defense.

In 1989 the Royal Navy was under the direction of the Navy Department in the UK Ministry of Defence. It had two main commands, CINCFLEET and Naval Home Command.

Junella was a fishing trawler, best known for her service with the Royal Navy during the Falklands War. She was built in 1975 for J Marr & Son, a Hull-based fishing company. On 11 April 1982 she was taken up from trade by the British government and commissioned into the Royal Navy. She was fitted with Second World War era minesweeping gear at Rosyth Dockyard, manned by Royal Navy sailors and allocated to the 11th Mine Countermeasures Squadron. She sailed on 26 April but was unable to commence sweeping until after the 14 June Argentine surrender. In the meantime she was utilised to transfer troops and stores between ships and landed special forces troops at San Carlos. Demining operations commenced on 21 June. Junella returned to the United Kingdom on 11 August, carrying a defused Argentine mine.

References

  1. "Roebuck". Shipping and Shipbuilding. Shipping and Shipbuilding Research Trust. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Early retirement for survey ship". BBC News. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Former officer's warning as three more of our Navy ships are sold off". Western Morning News. 7 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. "Modern Hydrographic Survey Ship BNS Anushandhan arrives". 23 July 2010.