Hunt Class (1978)
HMS Ledbury (M30) at Portsmouth, 2007
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The Hunt class is a class of anti-mine vehicles or minehunters used by the British Royal Navy since 1979 . A secondary task of the boats is their use as patrol boats . It is already the third Hunt class of the British naval forces.
history
At the end of the 1970s, the Royal Navy began to equip a new class of ship for mine defense. The first of these ships was the HMS Brecon , which entered service on December 18, 1979. While the class was given the traditional name Hunt class , the 13 units were named after localities. The boats were built by Vosper Thornycroft except for HMS Cottesmore and HMS Middleton , which were launched at Yarrow .
Some other states later took over used boats from the United Kingdom . In 2001, two boats were acquired by Greece . In addition, Lithuania bought two launched boats in November 2008 for around 55 million euros. These were propulsion, communication and weapon technology, u. a. by Thales , completely modernized before they arrived in their new home port Klaipėda during the winter of 2010/2011 . They belong to the Lithuanian anti-mine squadron , which forms the Lithuanian part of the Baltic Naval Squadron . The official act for the handover and commissioning of both ships took place on May 18, 2013. However, they have been taking part in various maneuvers regularly since 2011.
Currently (as of April 2014), with the exception of HMS Brecon , which is based as a training ship in Torpoint, all units are in active service with the naval forces of the three countries.
technology
At the time of construction, the Hunt-class boats were the largest boats ever built with a GRP hull and the last use of the Napier Deltic diesel engine. At a speed of 12 knots, the range of the boat is 3,000 nautical miles.
The capabilities of the remaining units in British service have now been significantly improved. These include a new type 2193 mine hunting sonar and a NAUTIS 3 guidance system. Type 2193 is said to be the world's most powerful mine-hunting sonar, which can detect and classify objects up to the size of a soccer ball at a distance of 1,000 meters. Another innovation is the Seafox system, a fully autonomous system for mine destruction, which can fight mines up to 300 meters deep.
units
The remaining units are mainly based in Portsmouth in the south of England .
Identifier | Surname | Launch | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
M29 | HMS Brecon | 1978 | 18th December 1979 | July 19, 2005 | Training ship in Torpoint, Cornwall |
M30 | HMS Ledbury | December 1979 | June 11, 1981 | active | |
M31 | HMS Cattistock | January 22, 1981 | March 5, 1982 | active | |
M32 | HMS Cottesmore | February 9, 1982 | June 24, 1983 | September 2005 | to Lithuania ( Skalvis ) |
M33 | HMS Brocklesby | January 12, 1982 | 3rd February 1983 | active | |
M34 | HMS Middleton | April 27, 1983 | 4th July 1984 | active | |
M35 | HMS Dulverton | 1982 | 1983 | 2004 | to Lithuania ( Kuršis ) |
M36 | HMS Bicester | June 4th 1985 | 1988 | 2000 | to Greece ( Europe ) |
M37 | HMS Chiddingfold | October 1983 | October 1984 | active | |
M38 | HMS Atherstone | March 1, 1986 | 17th January 1987 | December 14, 2017 | hung up |
M39 | HMS Hurworth | September 25, 1984 | 2nd July 1985 | active | |
M40 | HMS Berkeley | 3rd December 1986 | 1986 | 2000 | to Greece ( Callisto ) |
M41 | HMS Quorn | January 23, 1988 | 1989 | December 14, 2017 | launched, to Lithuania |
Greece acquired two boats in 2001, both of which are based in Salamis .
Identifier | Surname | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
---|---|---|---|---|
M62 | Europe (ΕΥΡΩΠΗ) | active | ||
M63 | Callisto (ΚΑΛΛΙΣΤΩ) | active |
Lithuania acquired two boats in 2008, which were modernized in winter 2010/2011 and are based in Klaipėda.
Identifier | Surname | In service | Off-duty | Whereabouts |
---|---|---|---|---|
M53 | Skalvis | 2011 | active | |
M54 | Kuršis | 2011 | active |
Web links
- Royal Navy website about the Hunt class (English)
- Homepage of the Lithuanian Naval Forces about the mine defense squadron there (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article on the official commissioning in Lithuania ( Memento of the original from March 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ Ministry of Defense press release on the "Amber Hope 2011" maneuver