UK Defence Forum

Repulse wrote:enough to man all 5 B2s OPVs and the current force

1.5 crews for each?
- assuming that Falklands perhaps will get B2s rotating, rather than one... the one that was not sold, afterall... based out there

Repulse wrote:enough to man all 5 B2s OPVs and the current force

1.5 crews for each?
- assuming that Falklands perhaps will get B2s rotating, rather than one... the one that was not sold, afterall... based out there

Repulse wrote:enough to man all 5 B2s OPVs and the current force

1.5 crews for each?
- assuming that Falklands perhaps will get B2s rotating, rather than one... the one that was not sold, afterall... based out there

ArmChairCivvy, would be surprised if they do not continue with the forward based model for the FIPV given it’s worked over the past 12 years. The only thing that would change it is if kit was added that could be maintained via a forward base - seems unlikely IMO.

Interestingly, from the 1920’s to 1940’s the “Fisheries Protection Squadron” was the “ Fisheries Protection and Minesweeping Squadron“ - given that the future ships are going to be more multi-role perhaps a new broader remit would be warranted?

Repulse wrote: Not sure where all these people have come from though.... anyone have anymore info?

Scrapped mine-sweepers?

shark bait wrote:Scrapped mine-sweepers?

Possibly, with 8 crews manning 7 Sandown class MCMs (with a reduction to 6 hulls planned) and the loss of 2 Hunts would give around 4 crews. Not sure it would add up to the full 220 though.

So the 20ft ISO container onboard HMS Medway at DSEI 2019 was, Thales MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measure) systems' Portable Operations Centre. Great to see, using River B2 OPV as (part of) modern MCM systems on going.

PS There was another 20ft container in the starboard waist. What was that, anyone know?

Beautiful. Bon voyage, Forth.

Forth now at Gib, and Clyde coming back very soon. At where they will "meet"?

HMS Trent going on!

Mighty Warship.... Wtf, its an OPV!
Treasury rubbing their hands going "well one less type 26/31 needed as that's a new warship in use.

andrew98 wrote:Mighty Warship.... Wtf, its an OPV!
Treasury rubbing their hands going "well one less type 26/31 needed as that's a new warship in use.

I would agree the Navy needs to be more careful with its uses of words. There are a lot of ways to talk up this ship but mighty warship should not be one of them

However its good to see her heading out to sea

Perhaps the Argentinians will start to complain about this mighty warship replacing the old opv….

Pretty sure the “mighty warship” comment was not to be taken literally.

Mighty lightly armed for a Warship....

Mighty waste of time and money!

For me if we are to send 2 out there they will need to be better armed than they are now

Give them some catapults and buckets of stones

working with the way you are heading maybe we should just strap lumps of concrete to the Typhoon force

Tempest414 wrote:working with the way you are heading maybe we should just strap lumps of concrete to the Typhoon force

The RAF has a proud heritage of using only the finest British concrete in the place of radar and weapons...

Many River class OPV events happening.

1: HMS Forth on her way to Falkland, just around Cape Verde. (ref: "")

2,3: HMS Medway already commissioned, ready for deployment, and HMS Trent just start flying white ensign. (ref: "")

4: HMS Tamar now start crewing by RN, still in hands of the builder (ref: "https://navaltoday.com/2019/11/27/hms-t ... -delivery/")

5: HMS Spey just named, still in building. (ref: "https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roya ... d-hms-spey")

Thus, all 3-hulls of the first three River B2 OPVs are now in the hand of RN (2 commissioned, 1 to be). And both of the later two River B2s are now fitting-out.

6: HMS Clyde came back to UK (into Portsmouth this morning), to decommission very soon. (ref: "")

7: HMS Mersey conducting training at Solent, for the next crop of RoyalNavy and RFAHeadquarters navigators. (ref: "")

8: HMS Tyne conducting patrol, with RoyalNavy and RNReserve personnel onboard. (ref: "")

9: HMS Severn alongside Portsmouth (still not ready to go to sea?) (ref: "")

Thus, 3-hulls of the four River B1 are active, but one of them is to decommission soon, and 1-hull is still in reserve-state (not ready to deploy).