Sandown class
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The Sandown- class is a class of anti-mine vehicles originally designed and built for the British Royal Navy . Boats of this class are now also used by the Saudi Navy (Royal Saudi Navy) and the Estonian Navy (Eesti Merevägi). In addition, the six ships of the Spanish Segura class put into service between 1999 and 2005 are based on a modified design of the Sandown class.
history
The boats of the Sandown class, made of fiberglass (GRP), were designed primarily for use as mine-hunting and less as minesweepers. The first boat of the class entered service by the Royal Navy on June 9, 1989. A total of twelve units were built for the Royal Navy and three for export to Saudi Arabia . All units in the Royal Navy are named after British coastal cities.
One of the boats, the Cromer , was handed over to the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth in 2001 and has been used there as the Hindostan training ship ever since .
According to the then Strategic Defense Review , three further units of the Royal Navy were withdrawn from active service in 2004 and 2005. The Sandown , Inverness and Bridport from the first construction lot were selected. These three were sold to Estonia in September 2006 for EEK 800 million to be reactivated by the local navy. For this purpose, all boats were fundamentally overhauled again (Tactical Control System, Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV and Sonar). The first (ex- Sandown ) entered service in 2007 under the name Admiral Cowan . The Sakala (ex- Inverness ) followed in 2008 and the Ugandi (ex- Bridport ) in 2009 . In 2018 these ships began to undergo a thorough overhaul.
In the meantime, the Royal Navy has also withdrawn the last of the five boats from the first batch from active service. The seven units of the second construction lot are expected to be used by the Royal Navy beyond 2020, as the planned successors to the Sandown and Hunt classes will not be available until the mid-2020s, according to current planning.
technology
Due to the construction made of GRP, the Sandown class only generates a weak magnetic field, which is ideal for use as a mine hunter. In addition, the boats are suitable for use in deep waters. The units have two Paxman Valentia 6RPA 200-EM 1500 diesel engines that can reach a top speed of 13 knots . The maximum range of the Sandown- class is 2,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots.
The original main armament of the boats consists of a 30 mm gun - the three Estonian units have been converted to a 23 mm twin gun. In addition, the armament can be supplemented by 12.7 mm machine guns. For use as mine hunting boats, the units are equipped with sensor technology and clearing equipment.
units
Currently (April 2014) seven of the twelve Sandown- class boats originally built are still being operated by the Royal Navy :
| Identifier | Surname | Launch | period of service | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M101 | Sandown | 1988 | 1989-2005 | sold to Estonia ( Admiral Cowan ) |
| M102 | Inverness | 1990 | 1991-2005 | sold to Estonia ( Sakala ) |
| M103 | Cromer | 1990 | 1992-2001 | as a training ship Hindostan at the BRNC |
| M104 | Walney | 1991 | 1992-2010 | off-duty |
| M105 | Bridport | 1992 | 1993-2004 | sold to Estonia ( Ugandi ) |
| M106 | Penzance | 1997 | since 1998 | |
| M107 | Pembroke | 1997 | since 1998 | |
| M108 | Grimsby | 1998 | since 1999 | |
| M109 | Bangor | 1999 | since 1999 | |
| M110 | Ramsey | 1999 | since 2000 | |
| M111 | Blyth | 2000 | since 2001 | |
| M112 | Shoreham | 2001 | since 2001 |
The Saudi Navy has operated a total of three boats of the class since the 1990s:
| Identifier | Surname | Launch | period of service | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 420 | Al Jawf | 1989 | since 1990 | |
| 422 | Shaqra | 1991 | Since 1993 | |
| 424 | Al Kharj | 1993 | since 1994 |
Between 2007 and 2009, three former British units from the first batch were put into service by the Estonian Navy. Since then (as of April 2014) these have been assigned to the Miinilaevade Divisjon :
| Identifier | Surname | period of service | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| M313 | Admiral Cowan | since 2007 | |
| M314 | Sakala | since 2008 | |
| M315 | Ugandi | since 2009 |
literature
- Paul Beaver: Britain's Modern Royal Navy. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5
Web links
- Information on MCM vessels on the website of the Royal Navy (English)
- Sandown class information on the Estonian Armed Forces website (Estonian)
Individual evidence
- ^ Estonian Review , Volume 16 No. 39, 4-10 October 2006 ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ; PDF) vm.ee; Retrieved June 10, 2011
- ↑ Information on janes.com
- ↑ MoD names ships cut from Navy ( Memento from July 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Information on armedforces.co.uk
- ↑ Information about the boats on worldwarships.com (English)