River-class minesweeper
| River-class minesweeper | 
|
|---|---|
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 850 tons standard / 890 tons full |
| Length: | 47 metres |
| Beam: | 10.5 metres |
| Draught: | 3.1 metres |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, Ruston 6RKC diesels, 3,040 bhp |
| Range: | |
| Speed: | max. 14 knots |
| Complement: | 5 officers / 23 ratings (accommodation for 36: 7 officers / 29 ratings) |
| Armament: | *1 x Bofors 40mm gun Mark 3
|
The River class was a class of minesweeper built for the British Royal Navy in the 1980s, designated Fleet Minesweepers (MSF).
The Rivers were built with a traditional steel hull to a design based on a commercial offshore support vessel. The class was designed to be operated as deep sea team sweepers, to combat the threat posed to submarines by Soviet deep-water buoyant moored mines. Operating in pairs, they would use towed wires to cut the mooring wires of buoyant mines, which could then be destroyed on the surface with gunfire. For this, they were equipped with the Wire Sweep Mark 9 (WS 9), capable of performing Extra Deep Armed Team Sweeping (EDATS). The complement was 5 officers, 7 Senior Ratings, and 16 Junior Ratings, although additional accommodation meant that a total crew of 36 could be borne for training purposes. They were armed with a single 40 mm Bofors gun on the manually operated World War II-era Mark III mounting, and two GPMGs.
A total of twelve vessels, all named after rivers, were constructed by Richards Shipbuilders at Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth at an approximate unit cost of £4.6 million. The class was designed to operate in deep water and ocean environments, if necessary for long periods of time without support. Upon entering service they joined the 10th Mine Countermeasures Squadron based at Rosyth and eleven were assigned to various Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) divisions around the United Kingdom. The twelfth, Blackwater, entered service with the regular Royal Navy. Following defence cuts, Helmsdale and Ribble were paid off in 1991 and were laid up at Portsmouth. Further cuts followed when the future of the RNR was reviewed in 1993 and as a result the entire class was withdrawn from RNR service.
Blackwater, Spey, Arun and Itchen were subsequently assigned to the Northern Ireland Squadron where they replaced Ton-class vessels patrolling the province's waterways and participating in counter-terrorist operations in support of the British Army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Orwell replaced Wilton, the last Ton-class vessel in service, as the Dartmouth Training Ship in 1994. Ultimately, the entire class was sold to overseas navies.
Ships
| Ship | RN / RNR Use | Fate |
|---|---|---|
| Waveney (M2003) |
South Wales Division - HMS Cambria | Sold to Bangladesh |
| Carron (M2004) |
Severn Division - HMS Flying Fox | Sold to Bangladesh |
| Dovey (M2005) |
Tay Division RNR | Sold to Bangladesh |
| Helford (M2006) |
Northern Ireland Division - HMS Caroline | Sold to Bangladesh |
| Humber (M2007) |
London Division RNR - HMS President | Sold to Brazil |
| Blackwater (M2008) |
RN Fishery Protection Squadron Commissioned 5 July 1985 | sold to Brazil |
| Itchen (M2009) |
Wessex Division RNR - HMS Wessex, transferred to NI Squadron, Commissioned 12 October 1985 | sold to Brazil |
| Helmsdale (M2010) |
Sold to Brazil | |
| Orwell (M2011) |
Newcastle Division RNR - HMS Calliope, transferred to Dartmouth Training Squadron, commissioned 7 February 1985 | sold to Guyana |
| Ribble (M2012) |
Mersey Division RNR - HMS Eaglet | Sold to Brazil |
| Spey (M2013) |
Forth Division RNR - HMS Camperdown, transferred to NI Squadron, Commissioned 4 April 1986 | sold to Brazil |
| Arun (M2014) |
Sussex Division RNR - HMS Sussex, transferred to NI Squadron, Commissioned 29 April 1986 | sold to Brazil |
References
- Britain's Modern Royal Navy, Paul Beaver, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5
- 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.
- Mentioned in Parliament
- Mentioned in Parliament