Content deleted Content added
m →top: fixed infobox |
No edit summary |
||
| (37 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|2019 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy}}
{{Other ships|HMS Medway}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2017}}
Line 12 ⟶ 13:
| Ship country = United Kingdom
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
| Ship name =
| Ship ordered = August 2014
| Ship awarded =
Line 33 ⟶ 34:
| Ship struck =
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship homeport = HMNB Portsmouth<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equipment/ships/patrol-and-minehunters/river-class |title=River class |publisher=Royal Navy |access-date=17 March 2022}}</ref> (forward deployed to the Caribbean)
| Ship motto =
| Ship nickname =
Line 72 ⟶ 73:
| Ship crew = 34–45<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/the-equipment/ships/patrol-and-minehunters/river-class | title=River Class | Royal Navy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.naval-technology.com/projects/river_class/ | title=River-Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, UK }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.baesystems.com/en/feature/introducing-the-royal-navyrsquos-new-offshore-patrol-vessels | title=Introducing the Royal Navy's new Offshore Patrol Vessels }}</ref>
| Ship time to activate =
| Ship sensors = * [[Kelvin Hughes]] Ltd SharpEye navigation radar<ref name="KelvinHughes">{{cite news |title=Britain orders Kelvin Hughes radar system |url=http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2015/04/14/Britain-orders-Kelvin-Hughes-radar-system/2321429043096/ |access-date=2 August 2016 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=14 April 2015}}</ref>
* [[Terma A/S|Terma]] Scanter 4100 2D radar<ref name="TERMA">{{cite press release |title=Terma's SCANTER 4100 radar system has been selected and ordered by BAE Systems for integration on board Royal Navy's OPVs |url=http://www.terma.com/press/news-2014/terma-scanter-radars-for-royal-navy/ |access-date=2 August 2016 |publisher=[[Terma A/S]] |date=17 December 2014 |archive-date=6 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206121356/http://www.terma.com/press/news-2014/terma-scanter-radars-for-royal-navy/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* BAE CMS-1<ref name="CMS-1">{{cite web |title=Combat Management Systems |url=http://www.baesystems.com/en/product/combat-management-systems |publisher=[[BAE Systems]] |access-date=2 August 2016}}</ref>
* Shared Infrastructure operating system
| Ship EW =
| Ship armament = * 1 × [[30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Gun|30 mm DS30B gun]]
*2 × [[FN MAG|general purpose machine guns]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/08/river-class-batch-2-opv-hms-trent-commissioned-with-royal-navy/ |title=River-Class Batch 2 OPV ‘HMS Trent’ Commissioned With Royal Navy |publisher=Naval News |date=3 August 2020 |access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref>
* 2 × [[M134 Minigun|miniguns]] (replaced by [[Browning .50 caliber machine gun|Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns]] as of 2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.navylookout.com/in-focus-the-50-cal-heavy-machine-gun-in-royal-navy-service/ |title=In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service |publisher=Navy Lookout |date=5 May 2023 |access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref>
| Ship armour =
| Ship aircraft =
| Ship aircraft facilities = [[Agusta Westland Merlin|Merlin]]-capable flight deck
| Ship notes = Fit with 16-tonne crane
}}
|}
Line 87 ⟶ 91:
==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
[[File:DES-2017-307-0010.jpg|left|thumb|
Steel was cut, marking the start of construction of ''Medway'', on 8 June 2015 at BAE Systems [[Govan]] shipyard in [[Glasgow]]. Rather than being [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] in the traditional manner, ''Medway'' was rolled onto a semi-submersible [[barge]] and lowered into the water on 23 August 2017 and was officially named a few weeks later on 20 October 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2017/october/20/171020-medway-named |title=Make way for Medway as second new patrol ship is named |publisher=Royal Navy |date=20 October 2017 |access-date=16 January 2019}}</ref> Builder's [[sea
==Operational history==
''Medway'' was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 19 September 2019. Arriving via her namesake river, her commissioning ceremony took place at the former Royal Navy [[Chatham Dockyard]] in Kent with her sponsor, Lady Fallon, the wife of former Defence Secretary [[Michael Fallon|Sir Michael Fallon]] in attendance.<ref name="commissioning">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=HMS Medway ready for duty after Commissioning Ceremony |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2019/september/19/190919-hms-medway-commisioning |
===Caribbean===
[[File:Royal Marines practise boarding skills from a Merlin helicopter on to HMS Medways flight deck.jpg|thumb|''Medway'' conducting an exercise with a [[AgustaWestland AW101|Merlin HC4]] from [[845 Naval Air Squadron]] off the coast of [[Curaçao]]]]
In January 2020, ''Medway'' embarked on her first overseas deployment, assigned to [[Atlantic Patrol Task (North)]] on long-term guardship duties in the Caribbean.<ref>{{cite news |title=HMS Medway Sets Sail for the Caribbean |url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2020/january/20/200120-hms-medway-sets-sail-for-the-caribbean |access-date=1 October 2020 |
In October 2022, ''Medway'' was involved in another drug ===Falklands deployment 2023===
In January 2023, ''Medway'' temporarily deployed to the [[Falkland Islands]] to take over the role of guardship there whilst her sister ship {{HMS|Forth|P222|6}} underwent maintenance.<ref>{{cite news |title=Falklands patrol HMS Forth on maintenance; replaced by HMS Medway|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2023/02/04/falklands-patrol-hms-forth-on-maintenance-replaced-by-hms-medway |date=4 February 2023 |work=Merco Press}}</ref> In April, the patrol vessel was operating in the waters off [[South Georgia]] on sovereignty protection tasks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Patrol ship HMS Medway sails into a world of stark beauty in the South Atlantic|url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/april/14/20230414-patrol-ship-hms-medway-sails-into-a-world-of-stark-beauty-in-the-south-atlantic |date=14 April 2023 |publisher=Royal Navy}}</ref> In May 2023, the destroyer {{HMS|Dauntless|D33|6}} temporarily replaced ''Medway'' on her normal Caribbean tasking.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://seawaves.com/2023/06/01/hms-dauntless-deployed-to-caribbean-region/|title =HMS Dauntless Deployed to Caribbean Region |website= Sea Waves Magazine |date=31 May 2023}}</ref>
In September, ''Medway'' conducted a search and rescue exercise with civilian-manned helicopters from [[Bristow Helicopters]] operating in the Falkland Islands. The ship also exercised with soldiers from 2nd Battalion, [[the Rifles]], comprising the roulement infantry company stationed in the islands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.mercopress.com/2023/09/08/falklands-joint-helicopter-offshore-patrol-vessel-logistics-exercises|title = Falklands: joint helicopter/offshore patrol vessel logistics exercises |work= Merco Press |date=8 September 2023}}</ref>
===2023–2024 refit===
In November, with the return of ''Forth'' to the South Atlantic, ''Medway'' began transit to Gibraltar for a maintenance period at the [[Gibdock|Gibraltar dockyard]] prior to resuming her patrol duties in the Caribbean.<ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1734884582162333871? ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet |title=@NavyLookout.@HMS_Medway arrives in #Gibraltar this morning for refit @GibdockLtd |number=1734884582162333871 |user=NavyLookout |date=13 December 2023 |access-date=13 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/november/20/20231120-royal-navy-patrol-ships-trade-places-in-falklands |title = Royal Navy patrol ships trade places in Falklands |publisher= Royal Navy |date=20 November 2023}}</ref> Given the departure of ''Dauntless'' from the Caribbean, she was temporarily replaced as Caribbean guardship by her sister ship, {{HMS|Trent|P224|6}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2023/december/07/230723-trent-heads-for-the-caribbean | title=HMS Trent deploys to hunt drugs smugglers |publisher=Royal Navy |date=7 December 2023 |access-date=8 December 2023}}</ref> In the later half of April 2024 nearing the end of the refit and maintenance ''Medway'' was seen with a new [[Dazzle camouflage#Renewed naval use|dazzle camouflage]] paint scheme similar to {{HMS|Tamar|P233|6}} and {{HMS|Spey|P234|6}}.<ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1782094496726913297 |title=@HMS_Medway looking smart with new dazzle paint scheme following upkeep period @GibdockLtd |user=NavyLookout |number=1782094496726913297 |date=21 April 2024 |access-date=21 April 2024}} </ref>
==References==
| |||