HMS Medway on sea trials in 2018 | |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | Medway |
Ordered | August 2014 |
Builder | BAE Systems Naval Ships |
Laid down | 8 June 2015 (Steel cut) [1] |
Launched | 23 August 2017 |
Sponsored by | Wendy Fallon |
Christened | 20 October 2017 |
Commissioned | 19 September 2019 |
Homeport | HMNB Portsmouth [2] (forward deployed to the Caribbean) |
Identification |
|
Status | In service |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Batch 2 River-class patrol vessel |
Displacement | 2,000 tonnes |
Length | 90.5 m (296 ft 11 in) [3] |
Beam | 13 m (42 ft 8 in) |
Draught | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in) |
Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
Range | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) |
Endurance | 35 days |
Boats & landing craft carried | 2 × rigid-hulled inflatable boats |
Troops | up to 50 |
Crew | 34–45 [4] [5] [6] |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
Aviation facilities | Merlin-capable flight deck |
Notes | Fit with 16-tonne crane |
HMS Medway is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Navy. Named after the River Medway in Kent, she was the second Batch 2 River-class vessel to be commissioned and is assigned long-term as Royal Navy guardship in the Caribbean.
On 6 November 2013, it was announced that the Royal Navy had signed an agreement in principle to build three new offshore patrol vessels based on the River-class design (more specifically, the larger Amazonas-class corvette derivative) at a fixed price of £348 million, including spares and support. In August 2014, BAE Systems signed a contract to build the ships on the River Clyde. The ships, which were designated Batch 2 of the River class, were to be globally-deployable and capable of carrying out constabulary tasks, such as counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling. As the second ship of the new batch, Medway included some 29 modifications and enhancements over the baseline Amazonas design. [12]
Steel was cut, marking the start of construction of Medway, on 8 June 2015 at BAE Systems Govan shipyard in Glasgow. Rather than being launched in the traditional manner, Medway was rolled onto a semi-submersible barge and lowered into the water on 23 August 2017 and was officially named a few weeks later on 20 October 2017. [13] Builder's sea trials began on 9 November 2018 and were completed by 11 December 2018. [14] Her sea trials were completed in only 75 days, a record not seen since World War II. [15] She was then transferred to the Royal Navy on 5 March 2019.
Medway was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 19 September 2019. Arriving via her namesake river, her commissioning ceremony took place at the former Royal Navy Chatham Dockyard in Kent with her sponsor, Lady Fallon, the wife of former Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon in attendance. [15] In the following month, her first operational tasking saw her escorting a Russian Navy cruiser through the English Channel. [16]
In January 2020, Medway embarked on her first overseas deployment, assigned to Atlantic Patrol Task (North) on long-term guardship duties in the Caribbean. [17] She made a stop for final supplies and fuel in Gibraltar in what was her first visit to the territory. [18] After arriving in the Caribbean, Medway joined Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship RFA Argus to form a task group, offering nearby British Overseas Territories a range of support from disaster relief during the hurricane season to tackling all forms of illicit trafficking. [19] The deployment also coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and both ships were reported to be on standby to offer any support, if required. [20] The Governor of the British Virgin Islands subsequently requested the assistance of Medway in securing the territory's borders in an effort to control the spread of the virus in late September. [21] Mid-September also saw the involvement of Medway in a large counter-narcotics operation in conjunction with Argus, 47 Commando (Raiding Group) Royal Marines and the United States Coast Guard. The operation led to the seizure of cocaine with a UK street value of £81 million, according to the National Crime Agency. [22]
In October 2022, Medway was involved in another drug seizure. She captured more than 400 kg (880 lb) of cocaine worth an estimated £24m. Three smugglers were detained and the vessel was destroyed. [23] [24] [25] On 6 January 2023, Medway rescued five people from an ocean-going tug in strong winds near Sint Maarten after receiving an SOS message; the tug later sank. [26]
In January 2023, Medway temporarily deployed to the Falkland Islands to take over the role of guardship there whilst her sister ship HMS Forth underwent maintenance. [27] In April, the patrol vessel was operating in the waters off South Georgia on sovereignty protection tasks. [28] In May 2023, the destroyer HMS Dauntless temporarily replaced Medway on her normal Caribbean tasking. [29]
In September, Medway conducted a search and rescue exercise with civilian-manned helicopters from Bristow Helicopters operating in the Falkland Islands. The ship also exercised with soldiers from 2nd Battalion, the Rifles, comprising the roulement infantry company stationed in the islands. [30] In November, with the return of Forth to the South Atlantic, Medway began transit to Gibraltar for a maintenance period at the Gibraltar dockyard prior to resuming her patrol duties in the Caribbean. [31] [32] Given the departure of Dauntless from the Caribbean, she was temporarily replaced as Caribbean guardship by her sister ship, HMS Trent. [33]
Near the end of 2023 Medway sailed to the Gibraltar dockyard to begin a refit and maintenance period. In the later half of April 2024 nearing the end of the refit and maintenance Medway was seen with a new dazzle camouflage paint scheme similar to HMS Tamar and HMS Spey. [34]
The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory and, as such, rely on the United Kingdom for the guarantee of their security. The other UK territories in the South Atlantic, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, fall under the protection of British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI), formerly known as British Forces Falkland Islands (BFFI), which includes commitments from the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. They are headed by the Commander, British Forces South Atlantic Islands (CBFSAI), a brigadier-equivalent appointment that rotates among all three services.
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The River class is a class of offshore patrol vessels built primarily for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. A total of nine were built for the Royal Navy (RN), four Batch 1 and five Batch 2. One Batch 1 (HMS Clyde), which was the Falklands guard ship, was decommissioned and transferred at the end of its lease to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
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HMS Mersey is a River-class offshore patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy. Named after the River Mersey, she is the fifth RN vessel to carry the name and the first to be named Mersey in 84 years. Various tenders were renamed Mersey during their service with Mersey Division Royal Naval Reserve between the early 1950s and late 1970s.
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