HMS_Spey_(P234)

HMS <i>Spey</i> (P234)

HMS Spey (P234)

2021 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Spey.

HMS Spey is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy. Named after the River Spey in Scotland, she is the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named Spey and is the fifth Batch 2 River-class vessel to commission and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister ship HMS Tamar.

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Construction

On 6 November 2013 it was announced that the Royal Navy had signed an Agreement in Principle to build three new offshore patrol vessels, based on the River-class design, at a fixed price of £348 million including spares and support. In August 2014, BAE Systems signed the contract to build the ships on the Clyde. The Ministry of Defence stated that the Batch 2 ships are capable of being used for constabulary duties such as "counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations". According to BAE Systems, the vessels are designed to deploy globally, conducting anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling tasks currently conducted by frigates and destroyers. A £287m order, for two further ships, Tamar and Spey, and support for all five Batch 2 ships, was announced on 8 December 2016.[15]

Batch 2 ships such as Spey include some 29 modifications and enhancements over the Amazonas-class corvette built by BAE Systems for the Brazilian Navy.[16] Tamar and Spey have further modifications such as carbon dioxide reducing catalytic converters.[17]

HMS Spey at the Scotstoun dock, on its naming day.

Spey was formally named on 3 October 2019.[18] She began contractor sea trials in September 2020,[19] and after they were completed, left the Clyde on 28 October for the delivery voyage to Portsmouth.[20]

Operational history

On 7 January 2021, HMS Spey was handed over to the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. In late spring 2021, Spey received "dazzle" camouflage in Falmouth in preparation for deploying to the Indo-Pacific region with sister ship Tamar.[21] Spey was commissioned into the Royal Navy at her affiliated town, Invergordon on 18 June 2021.[22] On 7 September, Spey and sister Tamar departed Portsmouth to be forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region for a minimum of five years.[23]

On 21 January 2022, Spey was deployed to Tonga as relief aid due to the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.[24] In March a survey by the ship revealed that Henderson Island - part of the Pitcairn chain in the south Pacific had been mislocated in a survey in 1937 by one mile (1.6 km).[25]

In 2023, Spey was deployed to Australia.[26]

In 2024 HMS Spey made her inaugural visit to India following in the footsteps of sister vessel HMS Tamar and anchored in Port Blair, a strategic port in the Andaman and Nicobar Island groups following exercises conducted with Indian Navy Patrol boats.[27] In April, the ship embarked a Puma unmanned air vehicle team from 700 Naval Air Squadron for operations in the East China Sea.[28]

References

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    Graham, Euan (19 October 2021). "Reflections on the Royal Navy's Indo-Pacific engagement". International Institute for Strategic Studies. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
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    "Work begins on third Royal Navy Patrol Vessel" (Press release). GOV.UK. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
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    "River Class | Royal Navy".
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    "Terma's SCANTER 4100 radar system has been selected and ordered by BAE Systems for integration on board Royal Navy's OPVs" (Press release). Terma A/S. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
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    "Combat Management Systems". BAE Systems. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
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    "River-Class Batch 2 OPV 'HMS Trent' Commissioned With Royal Navy". Naval News. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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    "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
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    @NavyLookout (20 November 2022). "HMS Spey" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 November 2022 – via Twitter. See video
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    "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
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    @NavyLookout (19 April 2024). "@NavyLookout Basic but does the job... Puma UAV launched from @HMS_Spey during recent operations off South Korea" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via Twitter.
  15. [15]
    de Larrinaga, Nicholas (9 December 2016). "UK orders two more River-class OPVs". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
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    "Patrol Craft:Written question - 210211 - UK Parliament". United Kingdom Parliament. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
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    "Costs, controversy and context. Update on the Royal Navy's new OPVs". Save the Royal Navy. 25 October 2018.
  18. [18]
    "Royal Navy's final patrol ship named" (Press release). Royal Navy. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
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    "British Navy HMS Spey River-class offshore patrol vessel debuts at sea". www.navyrecognition.com. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
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    "British Navy HMS Spey Offshore Patrol Vessel joins Portsmouth Naval Base". Navy Recognition. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  21. [21]
    "White Ensign Raised as HMS Spey joins the Royal Navy". Royal Navy. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  22. [22]
    Archus, Dorian. "The Royal Navy commissions 5th and final Batch II River Class OPV HMS Spey - Naval Post". Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  23. [23]
    "Patrol ships bid farewell to Portsmouth as they begin Indo-Pacific deployment". Royal Navy.
  24. [24]
    "Global aid effort underway for Tonga's recovery". RNZ. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  25. [25]
    Knapton, Sarah (11 March 2022). "Henderson Island has been in the wrong place for 85 years, Royal Navy discovers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  26. [26]
    "G'day! HMS Spey becomes first Royal Navy ship to dock in Brisbane since 1995". Forces.Net. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  27. [27]
    "Royal Navy Warship HMS Spey makes inaugural visit to India". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  28. [28]
    @HMSSpey (17 April 2024). "@HMS_Spey Alongside other tasking, HMS SPEY has spent the last few weeks proving her RPAS capability for the first time" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 April 2024 – via Twitter.
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