Sandown-class minehunter

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 Ramsey at HMNB Clyde, 2011
Class overview
NameSandown class
BuildersVosper Thornycroft, Woolston
Operators
Preceded byTon-class minesweeper
Succeeded byCastle-class command and support vessels for autonomous systems
In service1989
Completed15
Active13 (3 each Royal Navy, Estonian and Royal Saudi Navies; 2 transferred to Ukraine and 2+ being transferred to Romania)
Laid up1
Retired1 (static training vessel)
General characteristics
TypeMinehunter
Displacement600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons)[1]
Length52.5 m (172 ft 3 in)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draught2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
Speed13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement34 (accommodation for up to 40)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radar Type 1007 I-Band/Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar[2]
  • Sonar Type 2093
Armament

Development

These small (53 m; 174 ft) fibreglass vessels are single role mine hunters (SRMH) rather than minesweepers. Twelve ships were built for the Royal Navy and three ships were exported to Saudi Arabia. Three Royal Navy vessels were decommissioned following the Strategic Defence Review in 2003; Sandown (January 2005), Inverness (April 2005) and Bridport (July 2004). A further ship, Cromer, was decommissioned and transferred to a training role at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 2001 as Hindostan.

The three decommissioned vessels were sold to Estonia in September 2006. They were re-equipped with TCS (Tactical Control System) and the Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV for mine disposal. The sonar system was also updated. The first ship (ex-Sandown), delivered in 2007, has been named Admiral Cowan,[5] the second (ex-Inverness), was delivered in 2008 and named Sakala and the last (ex-Bridport) named Ugandi in 2009.

Future

The 2021 defence white paper announced that all mine countermeasures vessels in the Royal Navy would be retired during the 2020s and replaced by automated systems. It was indicated that the remaining Sandown-class ships would be retired first[6] with the entire class to be withdrawn from service by 2025.[7] They will be replaced with autonomous minehunting systems and specialized "motherships" deployed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). The first of up to four command and support vessels for autonomous systems were planned for service entry with the RFA in Spring 2023.[8][9]

In June 2021, during a visit by HMS Defender to Odesa, it was revealed that an agreement had been reached for two Sandown class ships to be transferred to the Ukrainian Navy upon decommissioning.[10] Ramsey and Blyth were decommissioned on 4 August 2021 and following a refit by Babcock, were to be transferred to the Romanian Navy instead.[11][12] In September 2023 it was reported that the transfer of Blyth had occurred and that HMS Pembroke would also be transferred to the Romanian Navy in the following year.[13]

In September 2022, HMS Shoreham was spotted operating around Firth of Forth carrying the name Cherkasy (Ukrainian: Черкаси) and the pennant number M311. Though still reportedly in commission with the Royal Navy, she was now training sailors of the Ukrainian Navy prior to also being handed over to that Navy.[14] In October 2022 it was reported that Shoreham had been decommissioned from Royal Navy service.[15] She, and her sister ship ex-HMS Grimsby (now Chernihiv), were formally commissioned into the Ukrainian Navy in July 2023.[16]

Ships in the class
Map with nations whose navies use the Sandown-class minehunter in blue
NavyNamePennant numberBuilderLaunchedCommissionedStatus
 Royal Navy Cromer M103 Vosper Thornycroft 1990 1992 Static training ship at Britannia Royal Naval College (as Hindostan)
Walney M104 Vosper Thornycroft 1991 1992 Decommissioned; awaiting disposal
Penzance M106 Vosper Thornycroft 1997 1998 In active service
Pembroke M107 Vosper Thornycroft 1997 1998 In active service; to be decommissioned and transferred to Romania[17][18]
Bangor M109 Vosper Thornycroft 1999 1999 In active service
Ramsey M110 Vosper Thornycroft 1999 2000 Decommissioned; awaiting transfer to Romanian Navy[11]
 Royal Saudi Navy Al Jawf 420 Vosper Thornycroft 1993 In active service
Shaqra 422 Vosper Thornycroft 1993 In active service
Al Kharj 424 Vosper Thornycroft 1993 In active service
 Estonian Navy Admiral Cowan
(ex-Sandown)		 M313 Vosper Thornycroft 1988 1989 / 2007 In active service
Sakala
(ex-Inverness)		 M314 Vosper Thornycroft 1990 1991 / 2008 In active service
Ugandi
(ex-Bridport)		 M315 Vosper Thornycroft 1992 1993 / 2009 In active service
 Romanian Naval Forces Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu
(ex-Blyth)		 M270 Vosper Thornycroft 2000 2001 / 2023 In active service[19]
 Ukrainian Navy Chernihiv
(ex Grimsby)		 M310 Vosper Thornycroft 1998 1999/2023 Decommissioned 2022; transferred in 2023 to Ukraine [20]
Cherkasy
(ex Shoreham)		 M311 Vosper Thornycroft 2001 2001/2023 Decommissioned 2022; transferred in 2023 to Ukraine [21]

See also

Citations
  1. "Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  2. Ministry of Defence (28 January 2016). "New navigation radar system for Royal Navy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. "The all-rounder – the 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun in focus". Navy Lookout. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  5. "Queen Elizabeth II to Hand Ship's Badge to Estonian Navy" (PDF). Estonian Review. 16 (39): 6. 4 October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  6. "Unmanned Systems Set to Replace All Royal Navy Mine Warfare Vessels". maritime-executive.com. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  7. Allison, George (6 September 2021). "Minesweepers out of service dates revealed". UK Defence Journal.
  8. "Why has the Royal Navy decommissioned 6 ships in a year?". Navy Lookout. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  9. "Mothership to support autonomous mine hunting systems arrives in the UK". Navy Lookout. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  10. Allison, George (22 June 2021). "UK giving two Sandown class mine hunters to Ukraine". UK Defence Journal.
  11. @NavyLookout (20 October 2022). "Ex-HMS Ramsey and HMS Blyth have been sold to the Romanian Navy" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  12. "Thank you Blyth and Ramsey for your service as minehunters pay off". Royal Navy. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  13. @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.
  14. "The Sandown-class minehunters for the Ukrainian Navy received their names". MINITAPHUM. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  15. @NavyLookout (20 October 2022). "Ex-HMS Ramsey and HMS Blyth have been sold to the Romanian Navy" (Tweet). Retrieved 27 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. Grotnik, Tomasz (13 July 2023). "Ukraine Commissioned Two MCM Vessels". Naval News. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  17. @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.
  18. "Romania acquires 2 former Royal Navy's Sandown class minehunters". Navy Recognition. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  19. 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).
  20. Grotnik, Tomasz (13 July 2023). "Ukraine Commissioned Two MCM Vessels". Naval News. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  21. Grotnik, Tomasz (13 July 2023). "Ukraine Commissioned Two MCM Vessels". Naval News. Retrieved 13 July 2023.

References
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