HMS Tamar (P233)

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HMS Tamar (1).jpg
Tamar during a visit to London in September 2020
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Tamar
Ordered8 December 2016
Builder BAE Systems Naval Ships
Laid down8 December 2016 (1st steel cut)
Launched10 October 2018
Sponsored byBrigitte Peach
Christened21 March 2019
Commissioned17 December 2020
HomeportHMNB Portsmouth [1] (forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region, with primary logistics hub at the British Defence Singapore Support Unit in Singapore) [2]
Identification Pennant number: P233
StatusIn active service
Badge HMS Tamar badge.svg
General characteristics
Class and typeBatch 2 River-class patrol vessel
Displacement2,000  t (2,000 long tons)
Length90.5 m (296 ft 11 in) [3]
Beam13 m (42 ft 8 in)
Draught3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range5,500  nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi)
Endurance35 days
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 × PAC24 Mk4 Sea Boats; Unmanned underwater vehicles may be embarked for mine countermeasures
Troopsup to 50
Crew34-45 [4] [5] [6]
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carried Merlin capable flight deck
NotesFit with 16-tonne crane

HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy. Named after the River Tamar in England, this is the seventh Royal Navy ship to be named Tamar. She is the fourth Batch 2 River-class vessel to be built [12] and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister ship HMS Spey.

Contents

Construction

HMS Tamar passing Canary Wharf, London September 2020 HMS Tamar sailing past Canary Wharf as it leaves London September 2020..jpg
HMS Tamar passing Canary Wharf, London September 2020

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, at a fixed price of £348 million including spares and support. In August 2014, BAE Systems signed the contract to build the ships on the Clyde. The Ministry of Defence stated that the Batch 2 ships are capable of being used for constabulary duties such as "counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations". According to BAE Systems, the vessels are designed to deploy globally, conducting anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling tasks currently conducted by frigates and destroyers. A £287m order, for two further ships, including Tamar, and support for all five Batch 2 ships, was announced on 8 December 2016. [13]

Tamar includes some 29 modifications and enhancements over the Amazonas-class corvette built by BAE Systems for the Brazilian Navy. [14]

Tamar was lowered into the water on 10 October 2018. [15] The vessel began operational sea trials in late 2019. [16] [17] She was commissioned into service on 17 December 2020.

Operational history

In April 2021, Tamar became the first Royal Navy warship to be painted in dazzle camouflage since World War II, prior to Tamar's planned deployment with sister ship HMS Spey to the Asia-Pacific region. [18] On 6 May, Tamar was deployed to Jersey alongside Severn. [19] This was part of a chain of events sparked by a new fishing licence scheme, introduced by the Jersey authorities post Brexit and is alleged by the French to be in contravention of an agreement between the UK and the EU nations and without consultation with the French authorities. [20] In June, Tamar, along with Northumberland and Tyne, was deployed off the Cornish coast to provide security for the 2021 G7 summit. [21] On 7 September, Tamar and sister Spey departed Portsmouth to be forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region for a minimum of five years. [22]

In January 2022, Tamar conducted ECC operations off the East Coast of China.

In February/March 2023, Tamar operated in waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory conducting fisheries protection and other missions. [23] Later in March, Tamar joined the French Navy's helicopter assault ship Dixmude and frigate La Fayette for exercises off Sri Lanka. [24]

In September 2023, HMS Tamar was operating in Australian waters and in the South Pacific conducting seabed warfare exercises. For these exercises, Tamar embarked divers and autonomous underwater vehicles to conduct mine countermeasures operations and monitor critical infrastructure. The exercises highlighted the ‘plug and play’ modular design of the vessels dependent on their specific mission. [25]

In early 2024, Tamar was deployed to the Pitcairn Islands for sovereignty protection and other duties. [26] [27]

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River-class offshore patrol vessel Class of offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Navy

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HMS <i>Mersey</i> (P283) 2003 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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HMS <i>Clyde</i> (P257)

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HMS <i>Tyne</i> (P281) 2003 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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HMS <i>Severn</i> (P282) River-class patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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<i>Amazonas</i>-class offshore patrol vessel

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<i>Arafura</i>-class offshore patrol vessel Class of patrol vessel

The Arafura class is a class of offshore patrol vessels being built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Initially proposed in the 2009 Defence White Paper and marked as procurement project SEA 1180, it was originally planned that 20 Offshore Combatant Vessels (OCV) would replace 26 vessels across four separate ship classes: the Armidale-class patrol boats, the Huon-class minehunters, the Leeuwin-class survey vessels, and the Paluma-class survey motor launches. Although having a common design, the ships would use a modular mission payload system to fulfill specific roles; primarily border patrol, mine warfare, and hydrographic survey. The 2013 Defence White Paper committed to the OCV project as a long-term goal, but opted in the short term for an accelerated procurement of an existing design to replace the Armidales, and life-extension refits for the other types. This resulted in the Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) project and the number of vessels reduced to 12. However, this was further increased to 14 when 2 further Mine Counter Measures variants were proposed under SEA 1905.

HTMS <i>Krabi</i>

HTMS Krabi (OPV-551) is an offshore patrol vessel (OPV) of the Royal Thai Navy. She is a modified River-class patrol vessel, and was built by Mahidol Adulyadej Naval Dockyard, with design and technology transfer support from BAE Systems Surface Ships. Additional construction took place at the Royal Thai Navy Mahidol Dockyard in Sattahip.

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HMS <i>Forth</i> (P222) 2018 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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HMS <i>Medway</i> (P223) 2019 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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.

HMS <i>Trent</i> (P224) 2020 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

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HMS <i>Spey</i> (P234) 2021 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Spey is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy. Named after the River Spey in Scotland, she is the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named Spey and is the fifth Batch 2 River-class vessel to commission and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister ship HMS Tamar.

HTMS <i>Prachuap Khiri Khan</i>

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References

  1. ↑ "River class". Royal Navy. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  2. ↑ Graham, Euan (19 October 2021). "Reflections on the Royal Navy's Indo-Pacific engagement". International Institute for Strategic Studies . Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Work begins on third Royal Navy Patrol Vessel". GOV.UK. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "River Class | Royal Navy".
  5. ↑ "River-Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, UK".
  6. ↑ "Introducing the Royal Navy's new Offshore Patrol Vessels".
  7. ↑ "Britain orders Kelvin Hughes radar system". United Press International . 14 April 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Terma's SCANTER 4100 radar system has been selected and ordered by BAE Systems for integration on board Royal Navy's OPVs" (Press release). Terma A/S. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Combat Management Systems". BAE Systems . Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "River-Class Batch 2 OPV 'HMS Trent' Commissioned With Royal Navy". Naval News. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "HMS Tamar Raises Her Flag on Her Own River". Royal Navy. River Tamar. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  13. ↑ de Larrinaga, Nicholas (9 December 2016). "UK orders two more River-class OPVs". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.
  14. ↑ "Patrol Craft: Written question - 210211 - UK Parliament". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "HMS Tamar is launched as HMS Medway gears up for maiden voyage". Royal Navy. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "First RN personnel joins HMS Tamar". royalnavy.mod.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "HMS Tamar welcomes first crew ahead of 2020 delivery". Naval News. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  18. ↑ Drummond, Michael (27 April 2021). "Warship treated to Second World War paint job used to 'dazzle' submarines". Evening Standard . Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "UK Royal Navy ships patrolling Jersey amid fishing row with France". BBC News . 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Boffey, Daniel (6 May 2021). "France threatens to cut off power to Jersey in post-Brexit fishing row". The Guardian . Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  21. ↑ "Thousands of police, Navy frigate and helicopters deployed to guard world leaders at G7 summit". Independent.co.uk . 10 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Patrol ships bid farewell to Portsmouth as they begin Indo-Pacific deployment".
  23. ↑ "HMS Tamar protects paradise in rare visit to UK's Indian Ocean territory". Royal Navy. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "Royal Navy joins French-led international workout in Indian Ocean". Royal Navy. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  25. ↑ "Royal Navy's OPVs Deployed in Indo-Pacific Begin Third Year". Sea Waves Magazine. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "HMS Tamar visits remote tropical island where her crew outnumber the inhabitants". ForcesNet. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  27. ↑ @NavyLookout (10 February 2024). "@hms_tamar visited the remote 🇵🇳Pitcairn Islands in mid-January" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 February 2024– via Twitter.

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