HMS Mersey (P283)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Mersey.
HMS Mersey, 2009
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Mersey
Operator: Royal Navy
Ordered: April 2001
Builder: Vosper Thornycroft
Launched: 14 June 2003
Sponsored by: Mrs Jennie Reeve
Commissioned: 28 November 2003
Homeport: HMNB Portsmouth
Identification: Pennant number: P283
Status: in active service
General characteristics
Class and type: River-class patrol vessel
Displacement: 1,700 tonnes[1]
Length: 79.5 m (260 ft 10 in)
Beam: 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)
Draught: 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Installed power: 4,125 kW (5,532 hp) at 1,000 rpm
Propulsion: Two Ruston 12RK 270 diesel engines
Speed: 20 kn (37 km/h)
Range: 5,500 nmi (10,200 km)
Endurance: 21 days
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 Two rigid inflatable boats
Troops: 20
Complement: 30
Armament:

The fifth and current HMS Mersey is a River-class offshore patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy. Named after the River Mersey, the ship is the first to originally named Mersey in 84 years. Various tenders (predominantly Ton Class minesweepers) where renamed Mersey during their service with Mersey Division Royal Naval Reserve (HMS Eaglet) between the early 1950s and late 1970s.

She was built by Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton to serve as fishery protection units within the United Kingdom's waters along with her two sister ships Tyne and Severn. All three were commissioned into service in 2003 to replace the five older Island-class patrol vessels. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 28 November 2003. At that time, Mersey was not expected to commence duties until February 2004.

Mersey was the last Royal Navy ship to be launched from Vosper Thornycroft at its Woolston shipyard; Jennie Reeve, wife of Rear-Admiral Jonathon Reeve, Chief of Fleet Support, was the ship's sponsor. The first ship launched at the yard was the Tribal-class destroyer Tartar on 25 June 1907.[2]

Mersey departing from Portsmouth Naval Base 12 November 2008

Service history

For the first thirteen years of her life, Mersey operated around the United Kingdom on Fishery Protection duties.

In October 2013, Mersey was dry docked in Falmouth.

In January 2016, Mersey became the second River Class OPV to be deployed to the Caribbean following on from her sister Severn in 2015. In May 2016, Mersey was dry docked in Martinique as part of her mid-deployment maintenance period. By July, Mersey was had been relieved by RFA Wave Knight and was deployed on migrant patrols in the Aegean via a port call in Gibraltar.

Affiliations

References

  1. ↑ BAE Systems Offshore Patrol Vessels, baesystems.com, Retrieved 8 June 2014
  2. ↑ HMS Mersey to be final RN ship launched from Woolston
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