HMS Sabre (P285)

Last updated

Gibraltar Based Patrol Boat HMS Sabre MOD 45153356.jpg
HMS Sabre off Gibraltar in 2011
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NameLPV Grey Wolf
Operator Royal Marines
BuilderVT Halmatic, Southampton
CommissionedJanuary 1993
Out of serviceSeptember 2002
Homeport Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland
Identification
FateTransferred to Royal Navy
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Sabre
OperatorRoyal Navy
AcquiredSeptember 2002
Commissioned31 January 2003
Decommissioned30 March 2022
Homeport Gibraltar
Identification
StatusAwaiting Disposal
General characteristics
Class and type Scimitar-class patrol vessel
Displacement24  t (24 long tons)
Length16 m (52 ft 6 in)
Beam3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Draught1.2 m (3 ft 11 in)
Propulsion2 × MAN 2480LXE diesels, 2 shafts
Speed32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range260  nmi (480 km; 300 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement5 (1 officer, 4 ratings)
Sensors and
processing systems		 Racal-Decca Bridgemaster 360, I band navigation radar
Armament2 × General purpose machine guns (stern-mounted)

HMS Sabre was a Scimitar-class fast patrol boat of the British Royal Navy. She was commissioned into the Gibraltar Squadron on 31 January 2003 along with her sister Scimitar, and used for police, customs and rescue purposes. [1] The two boats allowed the two Archer-classpatrol vessel of the squadron, Trumpeter and Ranger, to be reassigned to the Cyprus Squadron in April 2003 and April 2004 respectively.

Contents

Operational history

LPV Grey Wolf

The vessel had previously been operated alongside her sister ship Grey Fox as part of Operation Lifespan in Northern Ireland since 1993 as LPV (Lough Patrol Vessel) Grey Wolf [2] [3] both vessels were based in their own special dock at Massereene barracks with access to 6 Mile Water in Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland where she was commanded and manned by a crew of seven Royal Marines and two Royal Navy personnel conducting maritime counter terrorism, surveillance, intelligence and anti-smuggling operations. The crew included a four-man team of Royal Marines to conduct boarding and ground operations the vessels would normally tow a 22 ft (6.7 m) Arctic rigid inflatable boat (RIB) used to deploy this team. [4]

HMS Sabre

On 10 April 2009 a vessel from Spain's Civil Guard Police force entered Gibraltar territorial waters unannounced and approached the area near Gibraltar's airport. [5] HMS Sabre approached, and there was no response from the Spanish vessel. It was warned to leave the territorial waters, and after consulting with its superiors it did so. However, accounts vary between the Royal Navy and the Spanish versions. The Royal Navy states that its guns were loaded at the time, however the Spanish accounts state that the guns were specifically pointed at the Spanish vessel. In addition, Spanish MP Jose Ignacio Landaluce from the People's Party vowed to take up the issue in parliament. He said Spain "would not allow a Civil Guard vessel to be expelled from its own home".

In May 2016 Spain's Civil Guard Police force vessel Rio Cedena twice tried to cut across the path of the submarine USS Florida in Gibraltar territorial waters. [6] HMS Sabre fired warning flares to deter the Spanish vessel. [7]

Replacement

In July 2017 it was revealed that the Gibraltar Squadron would receive two new warships which will be more "capable", "faster" and have "bigger guns", to replace Sabre and Scimitar "within the next two years". [8]

On 24 July 2020, an announcement was made that the promised two new warships had been ordered from Marine Specialised Technology (MST Ltd) with the first to be delivered in Q3 2021/22 and the second in Q1 2022/2023. The contract is expected to cost at least £9.9 million. The patrol vessel replacements are initially going to be armed with X3 General Purpose Machine Guns (one on the foredeck and two on the aft deck) as well as being fitted for but not with a 0.50 cal Heavy Machine Gun. The ships are going to be 19 m (62 ft) long, carry six crew and six passengers and travel at 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph). [9]

In September 2020 Sabre, along with her sister ship Scimitar, returned to Portsmouth aboard MV Anvil Point having been replaced temporarily by HMS Dasher and HMS Pursuer before their long-term replacements arrive. [10]

After operating in UK waters for a period, Sabre and Scimitar were decommissioned in a joint ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Base on 30 March 2022. [11]

Related Research Articles

Future of the Royal Navy Overview about the future of the Royal Navy

Future planning of the Royal Navy's capabilities is set through periodic Defence Reviews carried out by the British Government. The Royal Navy's role in the 2020s, and beyond, is outlined in the 2021 defence white paper, which was published on 22 March 2021. The white paper is one component of the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, titled as Global Britain in a Competitive Age which was published on 16 March 2021.

River-class offshore patrol vessel Royal Navy ship class

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.

Standing Royal Navy deployments

Standing Royal Navy deployments is a list of operations and commitments undertaken by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy on a worldwide basis. The following list details these commitments and deployments sorted by region and in alphabetical order. Routine deployments made by the Navy's nuclear-powered submarines and their location of operations is classified.

Gibraltar Squadron Military unit

The Gibraltar Squadron is a unit of the British Royal Navy. It is the only seagoing Royal Naval unit based in Gibraltar, attached to British Forces Gibraltar. It currently includes two Cutlass-class fast patrol boats with a maximum speed of up to 41-knots. The first new vessel of this class, HMS Cutlass, arrived in Gibraltar in November 2021, followed by the second vessel in March 2022. The squadron also uses three Pacific 24 rigid-hulled inflatable boats, crewed by a team of 26 people. The 2021 defence white paper indicated that henceforth, one River-class offshore patrol vessel, HMS Trent, would also be permanently based in Gibraltar for operations in the Mediterranean and in the Gulf of Guinea.

HMS <i>Pursuer</i> (P273) 1988 Archer-class patrol and training vessel

HMS Pursuer is an Archer-class P2000 patrol and training vessel of the Royal Navy.

Sri Lanka Navy Naval component of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces

The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography and is responsible for the maritime defense of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.

S-class destroyer (1917) Class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy

The S class was a class of 67 destroyers ordered for the Royal Navy in 1917 under the 11th and 12th Emergency War Programmes. They saw active service in the last months of the First World War and in the Russian and Irish Civil Wars during the early 1920s. Most were relegated to the reserve by the mid-1920s and subsequently scrapped under the terms of the London Naval Treaty. Eleven survivors saw much action during the Second World War.

<i>Archer</i>-class patrol vessel

The Archer class is a class of patrol and training vessel in service with the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, commonly referred to as a Fast Training Boat. Most are assigned to Coastal Forces Squadron. HMS Tracker and HMS Raider are armed and provide maritime force protection to high value shipping in the Firth of Clyde and are most commonly employed as escorts for submarines transiting to Faslane. Pursuer and Dasher were also armed during their deployment on maritime force protection duties with the Gibraltar Squadron from 2020-2022.

HMS <i>Dasher</i> (P280) 1988 Archer-class patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Dasher is an Archer-class P2000 patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy. Dasher was built at Vosper Thorneycroft and commissioned in 1988.

HMS <i>Scimitar</i> (P284)

HMS Scimitar was a Scimitar-class fast patrol boat of the British Royal Navy. She is a Lifespan Patrol Vessel type boat and formerly served in inland waterway duties in Northern Ireland as MV Grey Fox. She was acquired to serve with the Gibraltar Squadron, tasked with policing, customs and search and rescue duties. This released an Archer-class patrol vessel for tasking with the Cyprus Squadron.

<i>Scimitar</i>-class patrol vessel

The Scimitar class were a class of fast patrol boat formerly in service with the British Royal Navy.

HMS Bedford was a Royal Navy 74-gun third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 27 October 1775 at Woolwich.

Kenya Navy Naval branch of Kenya Defence Forces

The Kenya Navy is the naval branch of the Kenya Defence Forces. It is headquartered in Mombasa.

Three vessels of the Royal Navy have been called HMS Sabre after the weapon:

Action of 19 January 1799

The action of 19 January 1799 was a minor naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars fought in waters of the Strait of Gibraltar, off Punta Europa. A Spanish squadron of 14 gunboats with a mistico as flagship, commanded by Francisco Mourelle de la Rua, attacked a British merchant convoy escorted by several Royal Navy warships, among them a 74-gun ship of the line. The British warships failed to defend the convoy, losing a gunboat sunk and another captured. The convoy also lost a ship and two brigs. For this action Mourelle de la Rua was promoted to frigate captain.

West Indies Squadron (United States) Military unit

The West Indies Squadron, or the West Indies Station, was a United States Navy squadron that operated in the West Indies in the early nineteenth century. It was formed due to the need to suppress piracy in the Caribbean Sea, the Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico region of the Atlantic Ocean. This unit later engaged in the Second Seminole War until being combined with the Home Squadron in 1842. From 1822 to 1826 the squadron was based out of Saint Thomas Island until the Pensacola Naval Yard was constructed.

West Indies anti-piracy operations of the United States

The West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations refer to the United States Navy presence in the Antilles, and surrounding waters, which fought against pirates. Between 1817 and 1825, the American West Indies Squadron constantly pursued pirates on sea and land, primarily around Cuba and Puerto Rico. After the capture of Roberto Cofresi in 1825, acts of piracy became rare, and the operation was considered a success, although limited occurrences went on until slightly after the start of the 20th century.

HMS Cutlass is a Cutlass-class fast patrol boat of the British Royal Navy. She is a fast patrol boat with a maximum speed around 41 knots designed for sovereignty protection and coastal security duties. She arrived in Gibraltar in November 2021 after undergoing sea trials in Liverpool. The boat was formally handed over to the Royal Navy in March 2022.

The Cutlass class is a class of fast patrol boat of the British Royal Navy.

References

  1. ↑ "Gibraltar Squadron - Introduction and History". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 14 November 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  2. ↑ "HMS Sabre". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 10 November 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  3. ↑ Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN   978-1-86176-281-8. Gives the former name of HMS Sabre as HMS Grey Fox, in contradiction to the MOD website which says that MV Grey Fox was the former name of HMS Scimitar.
  4. ↑ "The sharp side of the Rock". Navy News . Royal Navy. April 2007. p. 12. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  5. ↑ "Navy confronts Spain near Gibraltar". DefenceManagement.com. 21 April 2009. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "Royal Navy Boat Warns Off Spanish Vessel with Flares". The Maritime Executive. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Farmer, Ben (5 May 2016). "Royal Navy fires warning shots as Spanish vessel harasses US sub in Gibraltar". Business Insider . Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "Gibraltar Squadron to receive two new warships". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation . 5 July 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. ↑ "RN Gibraltar Squadron Being Replaced". Seawaves Magazine. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "HMS Sabre and Scimitar depart British Gibraltar Territorial Waters for the final time". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  11. ↑ @HmsSabre (30 March 2022). "A bittersweet afternoon as HM Ships Scimitar and Sabre lower the White Ensign for the last time. Team Sabre were p…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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.