Romanian minehunter Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu

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Romanian minehunter Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu.jpg
The arrival Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu in Constanța
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameBlyth
Builder Vosper Thornycroft
Launched4 July 2000
Commissioned19 July 2001
Decommissioned4 August 2021
Identification
StatusTransferred to Romania [1] [2]
Flag of Romania.svg Romania
NameSublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu
NamesakeIon Ghiculescu
AcquiredOctober 2022
Commissioned27 September 2023
Identification
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and type Sandown-class minehunter
Displacement600 t (590 long tons) [3]
Length52.5 m (172 ft 3 in)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draught2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
Speed13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement34 (accommodation for up to 40)
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • SeaFox mine disposal system
  • Diver-placed explosive charges
Armament

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. [4] 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.

Contents

Service history

With the Royal Navy

HMS Blyth was deployed to the Middle East on Operation Aintree by the Royal Navy in 2007 and 2008, together with her sister ship, HMS Ramsey, to test the class capabilities in the hot climate and maintain force operational capability in the region. Crews from other Sandown-class vessels were rotated through the two ships. [5] [6]

Blyth was based at HMS Jufair as one of four minehunters of 9th Mine Countermeasures Squadron [7] supported by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay-class landing ship on Operation Kipion until 2020, when she was replaced in theatre by HMS Penzance.

On 27 November 2020 the Royal Navy announced that the commanding officer of Blyth had been awarded the MBE for his leadership in Gulf peacekeeping efforts. [8]

On 10 February 2021, the Royal Navy announced that Blyth was being re-deployed to link-up with the Dutch-led NATO force operating in the North Sea. [9] Blyth (together with Ramsey) was decommissioned in a joint ceremony at Rosyth on 4 August 2021. [10] Following a refit by Babcock both vessels were initially earmarked for the Ukrainian Navy to "enjoy a fresh lease of life in the Black Sea". [11] However, in October 2022 it was reported that plan had subsequently altered to transfer both ships to the Romanian Navy instead. [12] [13]

On 28 September 2023, the Royal Navy confirmed that Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels, Blyth and HMS Pembroke, had been sold to Romania, one of the UK’s NATO allies, by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA), which disposes of vehicles and equipment no longer needed by UK Armed Forces. [14]

With Romanian Navy

Ex-Blyth was officially taken over by the Romanian Navy during a ceremony that took place at Rosyth on 27 September 2023. She was renamed Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu, a name also carried by the World War II gunboat NMS Sublocotenent Ghiculescu, and received the pennant number M270. The crew of 40 sailors under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Denis Giubernea, continued training, evaluation, and certification activities until 15 November when the ship departed Rosyth for Constanța. [13] [15] Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu arrived in the port of Constanța on 19 December 2023. She is join up with the 146th Mining-Demining Ships Divizion. [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 are named after coastal towns and cities. They have a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels.

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 town of the same name, and the second Royal Navy vessel to bear the name.

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>Cattistock</i> (M31) 1982 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Cattistock, the third ship of this name, is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1981 and commissioned on 5 March 1982, the third ship of her class.

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

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

HMS <i>Pembroke</i> (M107) 1998 Sandown-class minehunter of the Royal Navy

HMS Pembroke is 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.

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.

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 Nine 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 the British 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 the mines detonating. This is 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.

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.

Two ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Blyth

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. @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.
  2. "Romania acquires 2 former Royal Navy's Sandown class minehunters". Navy Recognition. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  3. "Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org . 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. Combat Fleets of the World. Naval Institute Press. ISBN   1-55750-197-1.
  5. "The crucible of effort" (PDF). Navy News . No. 632. March 2007. p. 4.
  6. "Minehunter crews mark 15 years of achievement on key Gulf mission". Royal Navy. 13 June 2022.
  7. "RFA Cardigan Bay's winter in the Gulf". Royal Navy. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  8. "Operational honours for those who led Gulf peacekeeping efforts" . Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  9. "HMS Blyth goes from hot to cold on chilly NATO mission" . Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  10. McRoberts, Ally. "Rosyth: Royal Navy mine hunters decommissioned at dockyard". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  11. "Thank you Blyth and Ramsey for your service as minehunters pay off". Royal Navy. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  12. @NavyLookout (20 October 2022). "Ex-HMS Ramsey and HMS Blyth have been sold to the Romanian Navy" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 October 2022 via Twitter.
  13. 1 2 Victor Cozmei (2 October 2023). "România a preluat primul vânător de mine din clasa Sandown de la Marea Britanie. Ce nume a primit cea mai recentă navă din dotarea Forțelor Navale". HotNews (in Romanian).
  14. "Two retired Royal Navy minehunters sold to Romania". Royal Navy. 28 September 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  15. "Corespondență transmisă de la bordul vânătorului de mine M 270 "Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu"". navy.ro (in Romanian). 17 November 2023.
  16. "Sosirea vânătorului de mine M 270 "Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu" în portul militar Constanța". mapn.ro (in Romanian). 18 December 2023.