River Class (OPV) (RN)

dmereifield · Post by **dmereifield** » 21 Mar 2018, 10:47

According to wiki (I know) the operation costa were about £5 million per boat in 2009-2010. So this funding is not going to cover operational costs of the class, it's probably barely sufficient to cover the cost of operation 2 for one year....the wording used ("preserving") does sound as though the funds are to keep them in reserve until HMG know what to do once we have left the CFP in 2020. This therefore appears to keep the option of recommissioning the B1s on the table. I guess the "implementation period" also buys time to figure out how to man them if they are to be commissioned back into the fleet....

hovematlot · Post by **hovematlot** » 21 Mar 2018, 18:11

Yeah that's how I see it. The 13 million will prob just pay to have the 3 hulls placed in preservation state tied up in 3 basin in Portsmouth until we know if we might need them after to reinforce our fishery patrols post implementation period in the 2020s

shark bait · Post by **shark bait** » 22 Mar 2018, 07:48

yeyyyyyy more ships sat collecting dust and rust in Portsmouth, politicians can correctly claim the RN mothball fleet is growing like never before.

Rambo · Post by **Rambo** » 22 Mar 2018, 08:12

shark bait wrote:yeyyyyyy more ships sat collecting dust and rust in Portsmouth, politicians can correctly claim the RN mothball fleet is growing like never before.

i share your cynicism but seriously the river cant be that costly to mothball with their limited weapons fit etc. At least they are going to be kept instead of sold off..

shark bait · Post by **shark bait** » 22 Mar 2018, 08:27

meh, I'd sell them off and head to Damen for a shopping spree for the border force.

RichardIC · Post by **RichardIC** » 22 Mar 2018, 10:44

Rambo wrote:i share your cynicism but seriously the river cant be that costly to mothball with their limited weapons fit etc. At least they are going to be kept instead of sold off..

Unfortunately that’s not the way the Treasury sees things. MoD, like all other departments, has had Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) foisted upon it.

The Rivers, or any other piece of kit, are a Government asset. And, like a car, the asset depreciates in value as it gets older. RAB views that depreciation as a cost.

It’s therefore likely that a significant part of the £12.7m to retain the B1s is simply the cost of depreciation while they are maintained on the asset register for another financial year.

Poiuytrewq · Post by **Poiuytrewq** » 22 Mar 2018, 11:00

That's over £4m a year per vessel, seems like a very high level of depreciation

What would they be worth if they were to be sold to Brazil?

RichardIC · Post by **RichardIC** » 22 Mar 2018, 11:09

Poiuytrewq wrote:That's over £4m a year per vessel, seems like a very high level of depreciation

Significant part, not all - there will be other costs. Glad to say I’m not an accountant or finance executive, but I do need to work with them and they live in a very strange world.

Pseudo · Post by **Pseudo** » 22 Mar 2018, 12:35

shark bait wrote:meh, I'd sell them off and head to Damen for a shopping spree for the border force.

We sold HMS Ocean to Brazil for ~£85m, how much do you think we'd sell the three River's for?

Gabriele · Post by **Gabriele** » 22 Mar 2018, 13:47

They were purchased for 39 million in 2012...

donald_of_tokyo · Post by **donald_of_tokyo** » 22 Mar 2018, 13:56

Selling River B1 will not make big money, for sure. As Gabrielle-san says, they were 39M GBP in 2012. Now, 2018 is 6 years later.

But, if UK shipyards can "mid-life refit" and "modify" them in the export sells package, it will be not bad. Anyway, these ship are in the mid of there life and need somehow a mid-life refit.

SKB · Post by **SKB** » 22 Mar 2018, 14:26

Aethulwulf · Post by **Aethulwulf** » 23 Mar 2018, 12:51

MOD press release about River batch 2 vessels.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roya ... ry-patrols

With a total crew of around 58, but designed to go to sea with 39, they can spend up to 320 days a year on operational taskings. The larger crew allows a rotation of personnel to ensure they get to spend time at home or on training.

This means they will be working to a three watch system, with each watch working 4 weeks and then having 2 weeks off. 320 days a year on operational taskings is impressive.

I wonder whether the new T31 will also be working to a three watch system?

Caribbean · Post by **Caribbean** » 23 Mar 2018, 14:00

Aethulwulf wrote:I wonder whether the new T31 will also be working to a three watch system?

Did the Rivers use the three watch system in the Caribbean? I can't remember seeing any mention of that, but it would seem unlikely.

Tempest414 · Post by **Tempest414** » 24 Mar 2018, 10:08

Maybe the Type 31's could work a 2 month on one month off system with a port visit every 30 days and at sea 300 days meaning crews would be on duty 8 months with 4 months off and good over seas shore leave remember join the Navy and see the world

Pongoglo · Post by **Pongoglo** » 24 Mar 2018, 15:07

Gabriele wrote:They were purchased for 39 million in 2012...

I take it that was £39 Million GBP each ?

Gabriele · Post by **Gabriele** » 24 Mar 2018, 15:11

No, for all three. Earlier payments for the leasing Will have more than covered the difference.

Post by **Repulse** » 01 Apr 2018, 10:46

Brazil had an option to buy 6 more B2 Rivers, is there any news on this?

I read that Brazil continues to be skint so with elderly Escorts they must be looking modernise where they can afford to reduce stress in the fleet - couldn’t the UK push this alongside getting CL building to a BAE design for the T31?

Post by **Repulse** » 06 Apr 2018, 08:34

Forces TV saying that HMS Tyne is going to be decommissioned. Anyone know the date as they seem to imply soon, but it’s not clear? Going down to one B1 River this year seems a bit stupid given that Forth will not come active to the end of the year and even then will replace HMS Clyde.

Interesting they are also stating all 4 B1s will be mothballed.

https://www.forces.net/news/hms-tyne-go ... -last-time

Gabriele · Post by **Gabriele** » 06 Apr 2018, 08:57

HMS Tyne should bow out in May; and Mersey in November.

Post by **Ron5** » 06 Apr 2018, 09:07

Repulse wrote:Forces TV saying that HMS Tyne is going to be decommissioned. Anyone know the date as they seem to imply soon, but it’s not clear? Going down to one B1 River this year seems a bit stupid given that Forth will not come active to the end of the year and even then will replace HMS Clyde.

Interesting they are also stating all 4 B1s will be mothballed.

https://www.forces.net/news/hms-tyne-go ... -last-time

Gapping capability used to generate critical responses. It is now business as usual. The Treasury wins yet again.

Post by **Repulse** » 06 Apr 2018, 10:40

Ron5 wrote: Gapping capability used to generate critical responses. It is now business as usual. The Treasury wins yet again.

To be honest given the recent announcement about mothballing the B1s, I’m half expecting that these will return to service when the DMP is announced in Autumn as a “massive” upgrade to the RNs capabilities - still worse could happen.

Poiuytrewq · Post by **Poiuytrewq** » 06 Apr 2018, 11:07

If the Batch 1's are recommissioned they should send the Batch 2's straight back to the Clyde or Cammell Laird and add 20m to the hull plus a hanger and put them to some use!

Post by **Repulse** » 06 Apr 2018, 13:02

Poiuytrewq wrote:If the Batch 1's are recommissioned they should send the Batch 2's straight back to the Clyde or Cammell Laird and add 20m to the hull plus a hanger and put them to some use!

Not new and not widely supported by I agree with general thrust of a couple of Save the Royal Navy articles.

http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/how-opv ... rn-part-1/

http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/improvi ... on-part-2/

donald_of_tokyo · Post by **donald_of_tokyo** » 06 Apr 2018, 14:09

Repulse wrote:Forces TV saying that HMS Tyne is going to be decommissioned. Anyone know the date as they seem to imply soon, but it’s not clear? Going down to one B1 River this year seems a bit stupid given that Forth will not come active to the end of the year and even then will replace HMS Clyde.

I suspect simply it is because of crew number? HMS Forth has her crew from a few months ago. Tyne's crew was already gone as was crewed by MCMV crew. Are there any MCMV becoming active soon?

Anyway, losing a ship before its replacement is comissioning is quite understandable, when the man-power limit is driving the fleet availability.

River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)

Re: River Class (OPV) (RN)