River-class patrol vessel
 HMS Clyde exercising off the Falklands in 2014 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | River class |
| Builders: | Vosper Thornycroft (now BAE Systems Surface Ships) |
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Castle class |
| Subclasses: | |
| Built: | 2001-2018 |
| In commission: | June 2003-present |
| Building: | 3 |
| Planned: | 7 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Active: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Offshore patrol vessel |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | 13.6 m (44 ft 7 in)[6] |
| Draught: | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)[6] |
| Installed power: | 4,125 kW (5,532 hp) at 1,000 rpm[6] |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Ruston 12RK 270 diesel engines, 280kW bow thruster, 185kW stern thruster[6] |
| Speed: | |
| Range: | |
| Endurance: | |
| Boats & landing craft carried: | 2 × rigid inflatable boats |
| Troops: | Accommodation for 20 extra personnel |
| Complement: | 30, 36 (Clyde)[6] |
| Sensors and processing systems: | |
| Armament: |
|
| Aviation facilities: | Merlin-capable flight deck (Clyde,[6] Forth sub-group[7]) |
The River class is a class of offshore patrol vessels (OPV) built primarily for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. A total of eight are planned: four for the Royal Navy replaced the seven ships of the Island class and the two Castle-class patrol vessels. HTMS Krabi was a variation on the River design built in Thailand for the Royal Thai Navy. Three more were ordered for the Royal Navy in 2013, stretched to include a Merlin-capable flight deck.
In the Royal Navy, the River class are primarily used with the Fishery Protection Squadron and EEZ patrol. The fourth Royal Navy vessel (HMS Clyde) features several modifications allowing her to undertake duties in the South Atlantic and the Falkland Islands.
Royal Navy
Batch 1
Tyne, Severn and Mersey
The ships are significantly larger than the Island-class vessels and have a large open deck aft allowing them to be fitted with equipment for a specific role, which can include fire-fighting, disaster relief and anti-pollution work. For this purpose, a 25 tonne capacity crane is fitted. In addition, the deck is strong enough for the transport of various tracked and wheeled light vehicles, or an LCVP.
Initially the three ships were not owned by the Royal Navy. They were constructed under an arrangement with the shipbuilder, Vosper Thornycroft (VT), under which the Royal Navy leased the vessels from the shipbuilder for a period of ten years. VT were responsible for all maintenance and support for the ships during the charter period. At the end of this, the Navy could then either return the ships, renew the lease or purchase them outright. In September 2012, it was announced by the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond that the Ministry of Defence had purchased the vessels for £39 million.[9]
Clyde
A modified fourth vessel for the Royal Navy, HMS Clyde, was constructed at Portsmouth Dockyard and replaced the two vessels of the Castle-class patrol vessel for duties in the Falkland Islands. This ship displaces 1,850 tonnes and has a 30 mm gun, as well as a deck strengthened for aircraft operations.
Batch 2
Forth, Medway and Trent
On 6 November 2013 it was announced that the Royal Navy had signed an Agreement in Principle to build three new OPVs -based on the River class design- at a fixed price of £348m including spares and support.[11] In August 2014, BAE Systems signed the £348 million contract to build the three new OPVs on the Clyde in Scotland.
These Batch 2 vessels (and the very similar Amazonas and Krabi classes) are fundamentally different in appearance to the preceding Batch 1 ships. Notable differences are that they are around 10m longer, have a different (full width) superstructure, and a fundamentally different above-water hullform shape (greater bow flare, different & less-pronounced forward knuckle line compared to the Batch 1 ships, lack of the distinctive fwd & aft bulwarks of the Batch 1 vessels). In this regard, the Royal Navy Batch 2 vessels (and their near-sisters of the Amazonas and Krabi classes) arguably represent a distinctly separate class to the Royal Navy Batch 1 vessels.
The new Batch 2 vessels will be used for constabulary duties such as "counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations".[12] 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.[13] Steel was cut on 10 October 2014[7] and they are expected to enter service starting 2017, with the last being delivered by the end of 2018.[11]
Similar in design to the Amazonas-class corvette (the Brazilian variant of the BAE offshore patrol vessel),[14] the new ships will incorporate a Merlin-capable flight deck,[7] a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph),[7] be 90.5 metres (296 ft 11 in)[7] in length and displace around 2,000 tonnes.[5] Initial press reports suggested they would have a range of 6,300 nmi (11,700 km)[13] but more recent MoD publications put them at 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) like Clyde.[7] They will be fitted with the Kelvin Hughes SharpEye integrated radar system for navigation[15] and Terma Scanter 4100 for surveillance.[16]
These Batch 2 vessels have been criticised in UK Parliamentary evidence for: [17]
- lacking a helicopter Hangar (even a telescopic Hangar) - something that will limit utility of the helicopter deck by preventing embarkation of a helicopter for anything other than very short periods;
- lacking a medium calibre gun (76mm+).
It is argued that without these features (which could have been incorporated) these vessels represent under-armed and over-priced coastal patrol boats, rather than the Ocean-going Patrol Ships claimed.
Batch 3
The 2015 UK Strategic Defence and Security Review outlined a future fleet of 'up to six' offshore patrol vessels, with a further purchase of two new vessels at an undisclosed date in the future.[18]
This will encompass the three Batch 2 ships, Clyde (which already has a flight deck), and two further River-class OPVs. The three Batch 1 ships without flight decks will be withdrawn in favour of the newer ships.[19]
The SDSR also hinted that the OPVs could be used 'increasing the Royal Navy’s ability to defend UK interests at home and abroad,[20] which might suggest a broader range of operations away from the UK.
Foreign orders
Royal Thai Navy
HTMS Krabi is a modified River-class vessel built for the Royal Thai Navy. The ship was built in Thailand but with design, technology transfer and support provided by BAE Systems.
In January 2016 it was announced that a contract had been signed to provide the Royal Thai Navy with a second ship based on the River-class OPV to be built under license at Bangkok Dock. The precise design has not yet been announced but it will be a 90m vessel.[21]
Brazilian Navy
Three vessels of the Amazonas-class corvette based on the River class were built by BAE in the United Kingdom. They were originally intended to be exported for use by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force; however, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago cancelled the order in September 2010. In December 2011 it was reported that the Brazilian Navy were interested in buying the vessels, and possibly up to five additional vessels of the same design.<ref name=Brazil could buy the 3 BAE System's OPV that were canceled by Trinidad and Tobago>"Brazil could buy the 3 BAE System's OPV that were canceled by Trinidad and Tobago". Retrieved 2011-12-14.</ref> The sale, for £133 million (compared to an original £150m), was then confirmed on 2 January 2012.[22]
Running costs
| Date | Running cost | What is included | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | £20 million | "The average running cost per class of River Class is £20 million... These figures, based on the expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence in 2009-10, include maintenance, safety certification, military upgrades, manpower, inventory, satellite communication, fuel costs and depreciation." | [23] |
BAE Systems offshore patrol vessels
| Name | Pennant no. | Builder | Length | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| River-class patrol vessel (Royal Navy) | ||||||
| Tyne subgroup | ||||||
| Tyne | P281 | VT Shipbuilding, Southampton | 79.5 metres | 27 April 2002 | 4 July 2003 | In active service |
| Severn | P282 | VT Shipbuilding, Southampton | 79.5 metres | 4 December 2002 | 31 July 2003 | In active service |
| Mersey | P283 | VT Shipbuilding, Southampton | 79.5 metres | 25 June 2003 | 28 November 2003 | In active service |
| Clyde subgroup | ||||||
| Clyde | P257 | VT Shipbuilding, Portsmouth | 81.5 metres | 14 June 2006 | 30 January 2007 | In active service |
| Forth subgroup | ||||||
| Forth[7] | BAE Systems, Glasgow | 90.5 metres | 2017 | Under construction | ||
| Medway[7] | BAE Systems, Glasgow | 90.5 metres | 2017-18 | Under construction | ||
| Trent[7] | BAE Systems, Glasgow | 90.5 metres | 2018 | Under construction | ||
| Krabi offshore patrol vessel (Royal Thai Navy) | ||||||
| Krabi | 551 | Bangkok Dock | 90.5 metres | 3 December 2011 | 26 August 2013 | In active service |
| Amazonas-class corvette (Brazilian Navy) | ||||||
| Amazonas | P120 | BAE Systems, Portsmouth | 90 metres | 18 November 2009 | 29 June 2012 | In active service |
| Apa | P121 | BAE Systems, Scotstoun | 90 metres | 15 July 2010 | 30 November 2012 | In active service |
| Araguari | P122 | BAE Systems, Scotstoun | 90 metres | 16 July 2010 | 21 June 2013 | In active service |
See also
- Khareef-class corvette — a related 99-metre corvette class also designed by BAE Systems
References
- ↑ BAE Systems Offshore Patrol Vessels, baesystems.com, Retried 8 June 2014
- ↑ Colledge, J. J. (2010). Ships of the Royal Navy. Casemate Publishers. p. 83. ISBN 9781612000275.
- 1 2 Bush, Steve (2014). British Warships and Auxiliaries. Maritime Books. p. 24. ISBN 1904459552.
- ↑ Royal Navy HMS Clyde, royalnavy.mod.uk, Retrieved 8 June 2014. Quote - "As part of her deterrence role she also regularly visits other British Overseas Territories in the area such as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. At just over 2,000 tonnes displacement, she may not be the biggest ship in the Navy, but this is certainly made up for in capability."
- 1 2 BAE, UK Government Settle Agreement on New Patrol Vessels, defensenews.com, 12 August 2014
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "HMS Clyde Becomes First Ship Built In Portsmouth for Nearly 40 Years". Royal Navy. 14 June 2006. Archived from the original on 2010-06-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "First steel cut on new patrol ships". UK Ministry of Defence. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-navigation-radar-system-for-royal-navy
- ↑ "MoD buys £39m patrol ships from BAE". Press Association. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ 'First steel cut on new patrol ships', UK Ministry of Defence Announcement (10th October 2014)
- 1 2 "Daily Hansard - Written Answers Column 561W". UK Parliament. 12 November 2013.
- ↑ BAE Systems wins £348 million contract for new UK patrol ships, uk.reuters.com, 12 August 2014
- 1 2 "Work on three new patrol ships to begin in October". Navy News. 12 August 2014.
- ↑ Offshore Patrol Vessels, baesystems.com. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ↑ Tomkins, Richard (14 April 2015). "Britain orders Kelvin Hughes radar system". UPI. Retrieved 2015-04-22.
- ↑ Rasmussen, Kasper (12 December 2014). "Terma Scanter Radars for Royal Navy". Terma A/S. Retrieved 2015-05-14.
- ↑ UK House of Commons Defence Select Committee, 2014-2015 Inquiry into 'Re-Thinking Defence to Meet New Threats' - Published Written Evidence Submitted by Dr Mark Campbell-Roddis, including 2 x Letters of Response from UK MoD and UK Royal Navy Command HQ (ref: FUT0017)
- ↑ "National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015: A Secure And Prosperous United Kingdom" (PDF). Government of the United Kingdom. 24 Nov 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ↑ "Written question HL3909". Government of the United Kingdom. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ↑ "Second OPV for Royal Thai Navy". Shephard. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ↑ "BAE Systems sells patrol vessels to Brazil". BBC News. 2012-01-02.
- ↑ Hansard 24 November 2010 Written Answers.
External links
- Royal Navy - Patrol Boats - River Class (royalnavy.mod.uk)
- Naval Technology: River class project page
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