UK Defence Forum

A quick observation / comment. The B2 rivers are more sophisticated than B1, but have a bigger crew. Is the extra crew worth the extra capacity?

It looks like one or two companies have put some good work into naval mounts for LMM I have seen it said and seen images of LMM and Starstreak HVM on the same mount if this is right its a lot of weapon for the money ( I have seen £7000 a missile ).

Clive F wrote:A quick observation / comment. The B2 rivers are more sophisticated than B1, but have a bigger crew. Is the extra crew worth the extra capacity?

I would say not if used in the UK EEZ role but in the low end global patrol role for which they are being lined for the bigger crew is plus

RichardIC wrote:I may have missed something but when have we seen B1s in the Black Sea?

Sorry you were right it was not the black sea it was HMS Mersey in the Aegean sea

Clive F wrote:A quick observation / comment. The B2 rivers are more sophisticated than B1, but have a bigger crew. Is the extra crew worth the extra capacity?

It is 30 in River B1 and 36 in River B2. As it is 20% more, we shall expect 20% more outcome. For EEZ patrol, I agree it does not worth 20%. But for Carrebean tasks, may be worth while.

Only 36? I thought B2 had a crew of 58 is almost double?

River B1 crew is 30. With rotation crew included, it becomes ~45.

River B2 crew is 36. With rotation crew included, it becomes ~60.

[EDIT] https://www.forces.net/news/exclusive-b ... ewest-ship
... The ship has been designed and built to enable lean manning - just 34 crew can set to sea out of a crew of 60, meaning rotation and time at home...

Thankyou DS

No 30mm present?

I can see the 30mm, just 3 sailors standing in front of it.

Ah yes, couldn't make it out on the mobile sized screen!

Should soon be space for them to start cutting steel on the second T26.

So on the save the RN site on tweeter feed it said HMS Forth was used to shadow a Russian corvette on Sunday anymore news on this or anything to back this up

Tempest414 wrote:So on the save the RN site on tweeter feed it said HMS Forth was used to shadow a Russian corvette on Sunday anymore news on this or anything to back this up

How about this?

SKB wrote:

Tempest414 wrote:So on the save the RN site on tweeter feed it said HMS Forth was used to shadow a Russian corvette on Sunday anymore news on this or anything to back this up

How about this?

She is looking good in that shot good to see her in use

SKB, Is it normal for ships to commission at Chatham (referring to HMS Medway)?

Repulse wrote:SKB, Is it normal for ships to commission at Chatham (referring to HMS Medway)?

Huh? That's the first I've read about it. Chatham has not been an active RN base since 1984.

But Chatham and the River Medway, which HMS Medway is named after, are both in the county of Kent. So If HMS Medway is to be commissioned in Chatham, it would seem to have been organised for historic, geographic and sentimental reasons.

On 13th March 2019, Royal Navy's website confirmed it:

In September she'll have her commissioning on the river Medway. She will also exercise the Freedom of the Borough (of Medway).

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... es-for-sea