Uk Navy News

A specialist ship purchased by the U.K. Royal Navy to support mine-hunting operations has arrived in Plymouth.When deployed, the vessel will be based at Naval Base Clyde and used as a mother ship tp support the safeguarding of U.K. waters from the threat of mines at sea, operating a range of uncrewed systems that will help keep personnel at a safe distance under Project Wilton.Purchased from Norway's Island Offshore, the the 96.8-meter-long vessel – currently named Island Crown…

Team Resolute, a consortium comprising BMT, Harland & Wolff, and Navantia UK, has secured a contract worth £1.6 billion (currently around $1.97 billion) to deliver three naval support ships for the UK Navy.Harland & Wolff Group said Wednesday that, further to its announcement on November 16, 2022 regarding the award of preferred bidder status, the formal contract signature of the manufacture contract for the £1.6 billion Fleet Solid Support Programme (FSS) had  taken place between Navantia UK Limited (Navantia) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD)."Creating 1…

Five mariners were rescued by the crew of a U.K. Royal Navy patrol ship after their tug started to sink in rough seas last week in the Caribbean.The oceangoing tug began taking on water after suffering an engine failure some 20 miles west of Sint Maarten. The vessel's crew sent out a distress call around 1 p.m. on Friday and took refuge on the large sand barge their vessel had been towing.Patrol ship HMS Medway, the Royal Navy’s permanent presence in the region, was slightly more than a dozen miles away and promptly responded to the Mayday call.

Britain has selected a Harland & Wolff-led consortium to build three Royal Navy support ships under a 1.6 billion pound ($1.9 billion) contract that will create 1,200 jobs in UK shipyards, including in Belfast where final assembly will take place.The consortium, which comprises ship designer BMT, Harland & Wolff and Navantia UK, was appointed preferred bidder to deliver the three support vessels that will provide munitions, stores and provisions to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates, the government said on Wednesday.The consortium's proposal included a 77 mi

A U.K. Royal Navy warship assisted in the rescue of four people from a yacht that was taking on water and at risk of sinking in the English Channel near the Isle of Wight.Last week, the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond answered a Mayday call from a civilian yacht that was taking on a significant amount of water while sailing from Beaulieu River in the New Forest toward Honfleur in France.Diamond was in the area after leaving its home port and coordinated and conducted the rescue operation…

The British Royal Navy has taken delivery of a new autonomous vessel as the service examines the use of cutting-edge unmanned craft across a range of military operations including surveillance and force protection. The new vessel, named Madfox (short for maritime demonstrator for operational experimentation), was officially handed over to the Navy's experimentation innovator NavyX, who is working toward preparing the uncrewed surface vessel (USV) for a demanding year of testing at sea."With Madfox now directly in the hands of NavyX…

For the first time in decades U.K.

Royal Marines from the UK Navy's HMS Montrose Frigate have seized  £11 million (USD 15,3 million) worth of illegal drugs in two raids of suspect vessels in the Arabian Sea, the UK Ministry of Defence and the Navy said in statements on Wednesday.The Royal Marines seized 2.4 tonnes worth of illegal drugs from a suspect boat in the Northern Arabian Sea, on a counter-narcotics patrol. This was the second drug bust by the HMS Montrose crew in two days.According to the statement by the UK government…

Royston has won a multimillion pound contract to support and maintain small diesel engines onboard amphibious assault ships, mine hunters and other Royal Navy vessels, the marine engineering and propulsion specialist said Wednesday.The £5.5 million ($7.2 million) five-year Ministry of Defense (MOD) contract will see U.K.-based Royston responsible for providing diesel engine spares and technical support alongside repair and refurbishment of engines when required.This will include various Caterpillar…

Merseyside, U.K.-based boatbuilder Marine Specialised Technology (MST) has been awarded a £9.9-million ($12.9 million) contract to supply two new boats to replace the U.K. Royal Navy's Gibraltar Squadron fast patrol craft used to patrol HMNB Gibraltar and British Gibraltar territorial waters. Construction began in July, and the first vessel is due to be delivered in the third quarter of 2021 followed by the second in the first quarter of 2022. MST will provide four years of local…

New powerboats have been delivered to the UK Royal Navy’s Tyneside headquarters to improve seafaring training for reservists.HMS Calliope in Gateshead has taken delivery of two Gemini RIBs to take the unit’s volunteers out on to the water – part of an initiative to provide numerous Royal Naval Reserve bases around the UK with fast boats again, an idea first mooted three years ago.Following hundreds of hours of hard work, dedication and commitment, that vision is now reality.Given the increasing use of reservists in seagoing billets – such as the Gibraltar Squadron or fishery protection ships –

Britain's Royal Navy said on Monday one of its warships had helped to seize a batch of crystal meth worth more than 3.3 million pounds ($4.3 million) from smugglers in the Gulf of Oman.HMS Defender, a destroyer based at Portsmouth, southern England, sent a party to search a suspicious dhow as it conducted reconnaissance in the northern Arabian Sea.Royal marines discovered on the dhow 11 mailbag-sized sacks carrying drugs weighing 131 kg (288 lb) in total, the Royal Navy said in…

Rolls-Royce is to supply 18 MTU Series 4000 diesel generator sets to BAE Systems as part of the Power Improvement Project (PIP) to increase the resilience of the power and propulsion system in all six Type 45 destroyers. The two existing diesel gensets are to be replaced by three MTU gensets per vessel. The three MTU gensets will complement two existing Rolls-Royce WR21 gas turbines also supplying power to the electric propulsion system.Jon Pearson, Warship Support Director, BAE Systems…

Rolls-Royce Canada said it has won a contract with BAE Systems for its mission bay handling technology for the U.K. Royal Navy’s new Type 26 Global Combat Ship. The contract covers the first three ships, the first of which is currently under construction at the BAE Systems Glasgow shipyard, Scotland. The Type 26 Global Combat Ship is designed with modularity and flexibility in mind, and a key feature which sets it apart from competing designs is its mission bay. The Rolls-Royce Mission Bay Handling System…

British shipbuilder, and diverse engineering service provider, Cammell Laird has welcomed Sir Michael Fallon Secretary of State for Defence on a visit to the yard. The company said during the visit it intends to design and build a world leading Type 31 Frigate that will meet the Royal Navy’s specification and budget and will market the platform globally and capitalize on major export opportunities to Britain’s international allies around the world. Cammell Laird CEO John Syvret CBE said it is ‘ready…

Norco Holdings, the Poole-based manufacturer of lightweight composite structures and GRP moldings, has been selected by Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) to build the fleet of replacement workboats ordered recently by the UK MoD and due to be delivered over the next six years. The contract is for 30+ boats in total, ranging in size from 11 to 15 meters. As the primary composites supplier for the project, Norco will be producing the major components for the new vessels including hull, deck, superstructure and associated multipurpose modules.

SeeByte, creator of smart software for unmanned maritime systems, said it will demonstrate software solutions for unmanned systems as part of the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior exercise. The exercise will feature more than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems and aims to demonstrate never-seen-before capabilities in the field of autonomy and unmanned systems. SeeByte’s software forms the core components of the Hell Bay 4 and MCM Challenge elements of Unmanned Warrior. The aim of these exercises is to develop and push the capabilities of autonomous systems…

U.K. Royal Navy warship HMS Defender provided escort duties for transatlantic ocean liner RMS Queen Mary II through the Gulf of Oman. The Type 45 destroyer, dwarfed by the enormity of the cruise liner, is equipped with an array of weaponry and radar tracking systems to ensure the safe passage of the luxury ship through potentially dangerous sea lanes. This was the second time in two days the Portsmouth-based warship had escorted a ‘High Value Unit’ through the area, The Navy said.

GE Marine informs it has been awarded a contract to supply electrical power and propulsion to the Type 26 Global Combat Ships for the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD). According to GE, the marine industry often faces the challenge of bringing continual innovation to vessels without sacrificing the reliability of the technology. This is especially true for navy vessels. Building on GE’s technology portfolio in the naval market, GE Marine is now the chosen supplier to BAE Systems in providing the propulsion motors and drive system for the first three Type 26 Global Combat Ships for the U.K. MOD.

International manufacturer of panoramic infrared thermal imaging systems HGH Infrared Systems was selected by the British Navy to incorporate its Spynel-S 3500 into an integrated Compact Combat System (C2S) for situational awareness and ship-based protection against small fast inshore attack crafts (FIACs). The system has already been tested in trials in the U.K. and will be used in part toward securing war ships in perilous locations. Leading the project is U.K.-based Qinetiq…

Construction has begun on a new warship for the U.K. Royal Navy as the Minister of State for Defense Procurement, Philip Dunne MP cut the first steel in Glasgow today. HMS Trent is the third of three River Class Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) designed and constructed by BAE Systems. Employees, as well as representatives of the Royal Navy and local community, joined the Minister as he switched on a plasma cutting machine in a formal ceremony in Govan. “These new ships will…

The fully integrated platform management system Servowatch designed and built for three new offshore patrol vessels for the U.K. Royal Navy has completed BAE Systems’ Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT). Servowatch, the supplier of advanced integrated ship control systems, will now integrate the IPMS package at BAE Systems’ shipyard on the River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, where the next-generation OPVs are currently under construction. The Servowatch scope of supply includes a fully integrated control and management system for the vessels’ propulsion…

Ships Electronic Services Ltd (SES Ltd) has supplied Clear-Com FreeSpeak II digital wireless communication systems to the UK Ministry of Defence for three of its naval vessels, with more in the pipeline. SES Ltd, working with SeaKing Group Ltd, based in the North West of England was tasked with delivering strong, efficient and continuous wireless communication links throughout the vessels. “The MoD required clear communications for its engineers working in engine rooms and machinery spaces,” said Jeff Dixon, Sales Manager at SES Ltd. “This is a challenge faced by many vessel operators who traditionally use magnetic loop, conventional radio or infra-red solutions.