RFA Stirling Castle

Last updated

RFA Stirling Castle
2013-06 Island Crown.jpg
Stirling Castle alongside at Oslo with its previous name Island Crown in 2013
History
NameIsland Crown
OwnerIsland Offshore
Port of registry
Builder Vard Brăila, Romania [1]
Yard number784
LaunchedMarch 2013 [1]
FateSold to UK Ministry of Defence, 14 February 2023
British-Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary-Ensign.svgUnited Kingdom
NameStirling Castle
Namesake Stirling Castle in Scotland
Acquired14 February 2023
In service11 April 2024
Homeport HMNB Clyde [2]
Identification
StatusIn active service
Badge RFA Stirling Castle Crest.jpg
General characteristics
Class and typeVARD UT 776 CD [5]
TypeMine Countermeasures Maritime Autonomous Systems (MCM MAS)
Tonnage
Displacement6,000 tonnes [1]
Length96.8 m (317 ft 7 in) [1]
Beam20.0 m (65 ft 7 in) [1]
Draught6.0 m (19 ft 8 in) [1]
Propulsion
  • 4 × Bergen Engines C25:33L-6 diesel engines (4 × 2,000 kW, 2,700 hp) [1]
  • 2 × Kongsberg azimuth thrusters (2 × 3,500 kW, 4,700 hp)
  • 3 × Kongsberg bow thrusters (3 × 1,882 kW, 2,524 hp) [1]
Complement100 [7]
Aviation facilitiesHelipad

RFA Stirling Castle is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at HMNB Devonport for modification into a trials platform for autonomous minehunting systems that are to operate from a larger mother ship. The ship was formerly named MV Island Crown, and used as an offshore supply vessel operated by Island Offshore. [8] The vessel was sold to the Ministry of Defence in January 2023 for £40 million. [8]

Contents

Stirling Castle is one of two new commercial vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, the other being RFA Proteus, a multi-role ocean surveillance ship to protect seabed infrastructure and communications. [9] Up to three additional ships performing the role of mine countermeasures command and support vessel are also planned for acquisition. These will either be converted former commercial vessels, similar to RFA Stirling Castle, or new purpose-built ships, as reportedly preferred by the navy. [10] [11] These vessels will fill a gap left as a result of the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sandown-class minehunters, all of which are scheduled to leave service by 2025. [12]

History

MV Island Crown

The ship operated as the offshore support vessel MV Island Crown for Island Offshore from March 2013 until July 2017 under the flag of the Bahamas and registered in Nassau. From July 2017 until March 2023 it sailed under the flag of Norway, registered in Ålesund. [6] Designed by Rolls-Royce [7] [13] and built by Vard Brăila, Romania [5] the primary capabilities of the Island Crown were to support subsea and offshore oil, gas, and renewable energy operations.

Projects for which the Island Crown was deployed includes supporting and accommodating workers on the construction of the East Anglia Array offshore wind farm near the United Kingdom. [14]

RFA Stirling Castle

Owing to the UK's government's growing concern about protecting subsea infrastructure, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Island Crown was purchased by the UK's Ministry of Defence in February 2023 to be converted into a platform for mine countermeasure operations, to be operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and have pennant number M01. [3] [2] Initial conversion for naval service was conducted at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, UK. [8] The primary focus of the Stirling Castle is as a trials platform to act as an offshore forward operating base, deploying Mine Countermeasures Maritime Autonomous Systems (MCM MAS), and drones to protect offshore subsea infrastructure. [15] It will also be used as a platform for training RFA personnel on MCM MAS operations. [15] For the employment of unmanned systems, the ship incorporates a crane with a safe working load of 10 tonnes at a 34m radius and 5 tonnes at a 40m radius. [16] The ship's conversion was said to have been completed in May 2023 and she began sea trials prior to assuming her new role. [17]

In July 2023, the ship conducted its first trials with three of the Navy's autonomous vessels: Royal Navy motor boats Apollo, Hydra and Hazard. [18] In December it was reported that the ship has been engaged in few activities since those initial trials. Her formal naming ceremony was delayed until Spring 2024 with reports suggesting that she might have to undergo docking in order to correct certain defects. [19] However, from January to March 2024 Stirling Castle was reported to have undertaken additional operational sea training in preparation for work with the Mine and Threat Exploitation Group at the Clyde naval base. [20] [21] In April 2024, in a ceremony attended by Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the ship formally entered service with the RFA. [22] [23]

In August 2024 it was revealed that the ship's crane was damaged and therefore was unable to launch or recover boats. This rendered it ineffective in its main role. [24]

While the crane defect was reported to have been repaired by October, a serious manpower shortage in the RFA meant that the ship remained effectively inactive. [25] She was reportedly temporarily replaced in the MCM command and support role by the Marine Services vessel Northern River. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Fleet Auxiliary</span> Naval auxiliary fleet which supports the Royal Navy

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by providing fuel and stores through replenishment at sea, transporting Royal Marines and British Army personnel, providing medical care and transporting equipment and essentials around the world. In addition the RFA acts independently providing humanitarian aid, counter piracy and counter narcotic patrols together with assisting the Royal Navy in preventing conflict and securing international trade. They are a uniformed civilian branch of the Royal Navy staffed by British merchant sailors. The RFA is one of five RN fighting arms.

RFA <i>Argus</i> (A135) Aviation Support and Littoral Strike Ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Argus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence under the Blue Ensign. Italian-built, Argus was formerly the container ship MVContender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for a four-year conversion to an Aviation Training Ship, replacing RFA Engadine. In 1991, during the Gulf War, she was fitted with an extensive and fully functional hospital to assume the additional role of Primary Casualty Receiving Ship. In 2009, the PCRS role became the ship's primary function. Argus is due to remain in service beyond 2030. In July 2022 it was reported that the future Littoral Strike Role would be assumed by Argus after a refit to convert her to this role. As of October 2023, Argus had started her deployment to serve as part of Littoral Response Group (South).

RFA <i>Bayleaf</i> (A109) 1982 Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Bayleaf (A109) was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom, which served with the fleet for 30 years, tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

RFA <i>Cardigan Bay</i> 2006 Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Cardigan Bay is a Bay-class landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Built by BAE Systems, the ship was dedicated into the RFA at the end of 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future of the Royal Navy</span>

Future planning of the Royal Navy's capabilities is set through periodic Defence Reviews carried out by the British Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standing Royal Navy deployments</span>

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.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HMNB Clyde</span> Operating base in Scotland for the Royal Navy

His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy. It is the navy's headquarters in Scotland and is best known as the home of Britain's nuclear weapons, in the form of nuclear submarines armed with Trident missiles.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Kingdom Naval Support Facility</span> British naval base in northeast Bahrain

The United Kingdom Naval Support Facility is a Royal Navy base established in Bahrain on 13 April 1935, as part of the port at Mina Salman. In 1950, the United States Navy leased space in HMS Jufair and following Bahraini independence in 1971, took over the base. On 6 December 2014, it was announced that HMS Jufair would be reestablished as a permanent Royal Navy base. On 5 April 2018, the UK Naval Support Facility was officially opened by the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and The Duke of York, representing the United Kingdom.

HMS <i>Protector</i> (A173) Research ship & Icebreaker of the Royal Navy

HMS Protector is a Royal Navy ice patrol ship built in Norway in mid 2000. As MV Polarbjørn she operated under charter as a polar research icebreaker and a subsea support vessel. In 2011, she was chartered as a temporary replacement for the ice patrol ship HMS Endurance and was purchased by the British Ministry of Defence in early September 2013. As DNV Ice Class 05 the vessel can handle first year ice up to 0.5 metres (20 in).

<i>SD Northern River</i>

SD Northern River is a large multi-purpose auxiliary ship operated by Serco Marine Services in support of the United Kingdom's Naval Service and is currently the largest ship operated by Serco Marine Services, both in terms of dimensions and gross tonnage.

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

HMS Forth is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel in active service with the Royal Navy. Named after the River Forth, she is the first Batch 2 River-class vessel to be built. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 13 April 2018, following a commissioning ceremony at her homeport HMNB Portsmouth. In January 2020 she replaced HMS Clyde as the Falkland Islands patrol ship.

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.

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.

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.

RFA <i>Proteus</i> Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Proteus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary within His Majesty's Naval Service of the United Kingdom. Its roles being a platform for Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROUVs) and a testbed for new specialist capabilities, required for monitoring waters important to UK interests. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at Cammell Laird for modification into a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS). She formally entered service in October 2023.

Sea-class workboat Twin screw boat

The Sea-class workboat has been procured for Britain's Royal Navy to undertake a number of roles, including: logistics and transport tasks, inshore and harbour survey work, diver training and support, officer training and providing passenger transfer modules for the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. An autonomous minehunting variant of the class has also been procured.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "ISLAND CROWN". DNV Vessel Register. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Why has the Royal Navy decommissioned 6 ships in a year?". Navy Lookout. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 @NavyLookout (23 April 2023). "Formal renaming and registration of @RFAStrlngCastle has been completed. She will receive the pennant number M01 but remain painted blue & white as a trials platform" (Tweet). Retrieved 23 April 2023– via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "ISLAND CROWN (9630535)" . Equasis. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy . Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Island Crown". Vard Group AS. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Island Crown". balticshipping. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. 1 2 "PSV becomes subsea and accommodation vessel". rivieramm.com. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 "New autonomous £40m mine-hunting mothership arrives at HMNB Devonport". Forces.net. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "First images of new Multi Role Ocean Support ship (MROS) renamed RFA Proteus". Navy Lookout. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Royal Navy wants three new-build mine hunting motherships". Navy Lookout. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "Up close with RFA Stirling Castle – first of the navy's new motherships". Navy Lookout. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. ↑ "Why has the Royal Navy decommissioned 6 ships in a year?". Navy Lookout. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Rolls-Royce congratulates Island Offshore on the delivery of the offshore vessel Island Crown". Navy Lookout. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "Island Crown to support construction at East Anglia ONE". islandoffshore.com. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  15. 1 2 "New UK mine-hunting vessel gets her official name". Forces.net. 31 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  16. ↑ "Up close with RFA Stirling Castle – first of the navy's new motherships". Navy Lookout. 4 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "UK Royal Navy's Future MCM Mothership "Stirling Castle" Begins Sea Trials". Naval News. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Royal Navy MCM Mothership Trains With Autonomous Vessels For The First Time". Naval News. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  19. ↑ "The Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023". Navy Lookout. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  20. ↑ @NavyLookout (2 March 2024). "@NavyLookout. @RFAStrlngCastle heading back to Faslane this morning following a short period with @FOST in Devonport" (Tweet). Retrieved 2 March 2024– via Twitter.
  21. ↑ @NavyLookout (28 January 2024). "@NavyLookout. @RFAStrlngCastle has completed FOST and arrived in Faslane this morning for the first time. Will soon begin work in support of the Mine and Threat Exploitation Group (MTXG)" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 January 2024– via Twitter.
  22. ↑ "The Duke of Edinburgh attends the Commissioning Ceremony of Stirling Castle". The Royal Family. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  23. ↑ @NavyLookout (11 April 2024). "@NavyLookout.@RFAStrlngCastle formally welcomed into RFA service at service of dedication held in Leith today in the presence of HRH Prince Edward" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 April 2024– via Twitter.
  24. ↑ "Setbacks in the Royal Navy's effort to get newly acquired auxiliary ships into service | Navy Lookout". www.navylookout.com. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  25. ↑ @NavyLookout (12 October 2024). "@NavyLookout. @RFAStrlngCastle crane defect rectified - tested while alongside in Portland this week (with water-filled load test weight bags)" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 October 2024– via Twitter.
  26. ↑ "RFA Fort Victoria to be placed in long-term lay up". Navy Lookout. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.


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.