HMS Pembroke (M107)

Last updated

HMS Pembroke MOD 45150247.jpg
HMS Pembroke
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Pembroke
Operator Royal Navy
Builder Vosper Thornycroft
Launched12 December 1997
Commissioned6 October 1998
Homeport HMNB Clyde
Identification
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and type Sandown-class minehunter
Displacement600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons) [1]
Length52.5 m (172 ft 3 in)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draught2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
PropulsionPaxman Valenta 6RP200E diesels 1523 shp, diesel-electric drive, Voith Schneider Propellers, Schottel bow thrusters
Speed13  kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement34 (accommodation for up to 40)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radar Type 1007 I-Band
  • Sonar Type 2093
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament

HMS Pembroke was a Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy. She was the second ship launched of the second batch of the class, which had several improvements over the first five ships built. The ship was posted for three years to the Persian Gulf between 2009 and 2012. Pembroke has since been deployed in international exercises and in historic ordnance detection in home waters. Pembroke was the first of the Royal Navy’s Mine Countermeasures Vessels to be fitted with the Oceanographic Reconnaissance Combat Architecture combat system to replace the previous NAUTIS combat system in early 2020.

Contents

In July 2023, it was announced that HMS Pembroke was to be decommissioned, as part of the Royal Navy's plans to replace all mine countermeasures vessels with autonomous unmanned vessels. A decommissioning service and Freedom of Pembroke parade was held on 23 July 2023. [3] [4] The ship was still in commission as of September 2023 but was reportedly scheduled to be transferred to the Romanian Navy in 2024. [5] [6] She had reportedly decommissioned from the Royal Navy as of January 2024. [7] The ship is to be renamed to M271 Căpitan Constantin Dumitrescu after it will enter Romanian service. [8]

Design and description

The Sandown-class minehunter was designed to complement the existing Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel, by providing a cheaper alternative and specific mine hunting service. The Sandown-class vessels were delivered in two batches, with the first five ships delivered by Vosper Thornycroft to the Royal Navy by November 1994. The company was then awarded the contract for a second batch of seven vessels, of which Pembroke was the second. [9]

Ships of the Sandown-class had a hull constructed from glass reinforced plastic, and equipment on-board have a low magnetic signature. While under normal circumstances, the ship operates on diesel engines, when operating near mines she uses an electric drive system. In addition to the bow thrusters, she is also equipped with a Voith Schneider cyclorotor. [9] Further anti-mine equipment includes the Seafox mine disposal system. [10] Ships of the class were each equipped with a single 30mm DS30M Mk2 gun. [9]

Construction

Pembroke operating in the Persian Gulf, 2011 US Navy 110816-N-YX920-113 An SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 15 flies alongside the Royal Navy.jpg
Pembroke operating in the Persian Gulf, 2011

Pembroke was constructed at the Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton, England. She was used for shock trials on the improvements made to the second batch of Sandown-class minehunters. [9]

Operational history

Pembroke was posted to Persian Gulf duties in 2009, and spent the following three years conducting operations and exercises there. In 2012, she returned to HMNB Clyde. On the way, she and Middleton provided assistance to Delhi Express, a cargo vessel which had lost power while transiting the Gulf of Aden. Pembroke and Middleton protected the ship until it was under way once more, as the area is known for piracy. [11] During the mission to the gulf, the ship had been manned by seven different crews. [12] Upon returning to Faslane, she was placed in dry dock for two months for maintenance. [13]

Pembroke underwent a six-month period of support work and upgrades by Babcock International. [14] The upgrades included the installation of the Defence Information Infrastructure, which allows for information sharing across the entire defence network. Further work was taken to upgrade the high pressure air system as well as installing an expanded fire detection system. The work was completed by early 2014, when the ship underwent further sea trials. [15]

After a 300-pound (140-kilogram) mine was dredged up by a fishing boat in 2014, Pembroke detonated the mine using a Seafox anti-mine drone. [10] In 2015, she spent four months cooperating in operations with ships from the German, Polish, Belgian and Royal Dutch navies. During this time she located nine Second World War bombs, including a 500-pound (230 kg) bomb in the North Sea. [16] On 26 March, she visited the wreck site of the I-class destroyer HMS Isis and conducted a remembrance and wreath laying ceremony. [17] In preparation for a deployment to the Baltic Sea in April 2016, earlier that year, Pembroke took part in a series of training exercises including simulated attack by aircraft, gunnery, salvage and mine hunting. [16]

Related Research Articles

Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel Class of mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy

The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. As built, they combined the separate roles of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull, but later modifications saw the removal of mine-sweeping equipment. They have a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels.

<i>Sandown</i>-class minehunter 1989 class of British minehunters

The Sandown class is a class of fifteen minehunters built primarily for the Royal Navy by Vosper Thornycroft. The Sandown class also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy, the Estonian Navy, and the Ukrainian Navy. The first vessel was commissioned into Royal Navy service on 9 June 1989 and all the British ships were named after coastal towns and cities. Although the class had a primary mine countermeasures role, they have had a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels. As of early 2024, only one vessel of the class remains in active service with the Royal Navy, though she was damaged by a collision in January 2024.

HMS <i>Bangor</i> (M109) 2000 Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy

HMS Bangor is a Sandown-class minehunter commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1999. Designed to hunt naval mines in depths of up to 200 m (660 ft) using the Sonar 2093 Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) meaning that she can conduct mine clearance operations throughout the continental shelf. She is named after the Northern Ireland seaside city of the same name, and the second Royal Navy vessel to bear the name. As of January 2024, she was the last vessel of her class in active Royal Navy service.

HMS <i>Brecon</i> (M29)

HMS Brecon was a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel that served with the Royal Navy. Her pennant number was M29.

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>Ledbury</i> (M30) 1981 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Ledbury, the second ship of the name, is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched in December 1979 and commissioned on 11 June 1981, the second ship of her class. She cost £65 million at time of building, which was at the time the most expensive cost-per-metre for any class of ship built by the Royal Navy. Most of this cost went into the research and development of Ledbury's glass reinforced plastic hull.

HMS <i>Walney</i> (M104)

HMS Walney (M104) was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She was the fourth of the Sandown-class minehunters, and the second ship to carry the name, which comes from the island off Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria on the north-west coast of England.

HMS <i>Penzance</i> (M106) 1998 Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy

HMS Penzance was a Sandown-class minehunter commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1998. She was named after the seaside town of Penzance in Cornwall, and was the fourth vessel to bear the name. She was decommissioned in January 2024.

HMS <i>Ramsey</i> (M110)

HMS Ramsey was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. Like other vessels of the Sandown class, Ramsey was built of glass-reinforced plastic and other non-magnetic materials so that her hull does not trigger naval mines as easily as standard warships.

Romanian minehunter <i>Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu</i> Sandown-class minehunter

Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu (M270) is a Sandown-class minehunter of the Romanian Naval Forces. She was built as HMS Blyth (M111), for the Royal Navy, the eleventh of this class of twelve Single-Role Minehunters (SRMH) ships. She was laid down on 30 May 1999 by Vosper Thornycroft at their Woolston, Southampton shipyard, launched in May 2000 and entered service for the Royal Navy in February 2001. She was the second vessel to carry this name, the first being a Bangor-class minesweeper of the Second World War, wearing pennant number J15. Blyth served in the Middle East as part of the 9th Mine Countermeasures Squadron.

HMS <i>Shoreham</i> (M112) Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy

HMS Shoreham was a Sandown-class minehunter of the British Royal Navy. She was the fifth vessel to bear the name. From 2018 to 2021, Shoreham was deployed at UKNSF Bahrain together with three other mine countermeasures ships as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron on Operation Kipion. In 2022 she was decommissioned and was transferred to Ukraine.

HMS <i>Inverness</i> (M102) 1990 United Kingdom ship; also used by Estonian Navy

HMSInverness(M102) was a Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy. She was decommissioned by the Royal Navy in 2005, and in 2008 became EMLSakala(M314) of the Estonian Navy.

HMS <i>Brocklesby</i> (M33) 1983 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Brocklesby is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the British Royal Navy, her primary purpose is to find and neutralise sea mines using a combination of; Sonar, Mine Clearance Divers and the Seafox remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The class are the largest warships of glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) construction, which gives the vessels a low magnetic signature. In addition to her mine countermeasures activities, Brocklesby acts as an offshore patrol vessel, undertaking coastal patrol and fisheries protection duties.

HMS <i>Middleton</i> (M34) 1984 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Middleton is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the British Royal Navy. As of 2021, she forms part of 9th Mine Countermeasures Squadron operating out of HMS Jufair in Bahrain.

HMS <i>Chiddingfold</i> (M37) 1984 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Chiddingfold is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of Britain's Royal Navy. She was launched in October 1983 by her sponsor, Lady Anne Kennon, and formally entered the service of the Royal Navy in October 1984. Chiddingfold is a minehunter, and her purpose is to find and destroy mines, not only in a time of war but also in peacetime. There are about a quarter of a million mines still active from the Second World War alone and they pose a major threat to both military and civilian ships. Chiddingfold is able to enter some types of minefields without magnetic mines detonating because she is made of glass-reinforced plastic, and all fixtures within the ship are made of non-ferrous metals, keeping the ship's magnetic signature to the bare minimum.

HMS <i>Atherstone</i> (M38)

HMS Atherstone was a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy, the third ship to bear the name. Built by Vosper Thornycroft shipbuilders at Woolston, Southampton, it was launched on 1 March 1986 by Amy Jarvis, the wife of Pat Jarvis, CB, the Deputy Controller of the Navy at the Ministry of Defence, and commissioned on 17 January 1987. It was the tenth ship of its class.

EML <i>Admiral Cowan</i> 1988 Estonian ship

EML Admiral Cowan (M313) is a Sandown-class minehunter. Formerly HMS Sandown, lead ship of her class of the Royal Navy, she is now an Estonian Navy ship. Renamed EML Admiral Cowan, she is the flagship of the Estonian Navy and part of the Estonian Navy's mine sweeping flotilla. Admiral Cowan is the lead vessel of the Estonian Navy Mineships Division and also the first of the three modernised Sandown class minehunters received.

EML <i>Ugandi</i> 1992 Estonian ship

EML Ugandi is a Sandown-class minehunter commissioned by the Estonian Navy in 2009. Ugandi is a former British Royal Navy vessel HMS Bridport built by Woolston Yard of Southampton-based shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft.

The 9th Mine Countermeasures Squadron is a front-line squadron of the Royal Navy with responsibility for mine warfare in the Persian Gulf region. The squadron is based in Bahrain and, as of 2023, is equipped with three mine countermeasure vessels and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ship.

References

  1. ↑ "Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org . 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hundreds line the streets to bidfarewell to HMS Pembroke". Western Telegraph. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (23 July 2023). "Farewell to HMS Pembroke: An iconic Royal Navy vessel concludes its journey". The Pembrokeshire Herald. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ↑ @NavyLookout (28 September 2023). "@NavyLookout ex-HMS Blyth has been transferred to 🇷🇴Romania with, yet to decommission, @hms_pembroke to follow next year" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 September 2023– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ "Romania acquires 2 former Royal Navy's Sandown class minehunters". Navy Recognition. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  7. ↑ @NavyLookout (20 January 2024). "@NavyLookout HMS Bangor is the last Sandown class MCMV left in RN service. Images recently released of HMS Penzance decommissioning ceremony held before she left Faslane for the final time on 9th January" (Tweet). Retrieved 20 January 2024– via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Lucian Irimia (4 March 2024). "Nava cu două echipaje". presamil.ro (in Romanian).
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Single Role Minehunter (SRMH)". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 July 2001. Retrieved 1 May 2016– via The National Archives.
  10. 1 2 "Royal Navy minehunter destroys 300lbs mine dredged up by fishing boat off Falmouth". Falmouth Packet . 9 June 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "Minehunter HMS Pembroke returns to Clyde naval base". BBC News. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Ben (31 August 2012). "Royal Navy minehunter returns from Gulf duty". The Independent . Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "Pembroke receives a lift after Gulf exertions". Navy News . 9 October 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Babcock starts work on Pembroke". Babcock International. 24 June 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "HMS Pembroke Starts Sea Trials". World Maritime News. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  16. 1 2 "HMS Pembroke goes to action stations during exercise off Scottish coast". Royal Navy. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "NATO warships arrive in Falmouth". Falmouth Packet. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2016.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.