Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Mersey has tracked a surfaced Russian submarine’s movements as it sailed through waters close to the UK, the Royal Navy announced with a press release.
The River-class offshore patrol vessel was on watch as the Kilo-class diesel-powered attack submarine RFS Rostov Na Donu sailed through wintry seas in the North Sea and the English Channel en route to the Mediterranean.
Mersey reported on the Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine’s movements so that NATO Allies could track her progress as she continued her onward journey.
Commanding Officer of HMS Mersey, Lieutenant Commander Will Edwards-Bannon, said: “All of us in Mersey are very proud of the part we play, here in our home waters, in fulfilling the Royal Navy’s role of protecting our nation’s interests.
“No patrol is ever the same as the last, and we have conducted a particularly varied range of missions recently, culminating with the tracking of this Russian submarine as it passes the UK.”
Mersey was also on duty when the Kilo-class submarine made the reverse journey in October last year, as she returned from operations in the Mediterranean back to the Baltic.
Royal Navy’s River-class OPVs:
The River class is a class of offshore patrol vessels built primarily for the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. A total of nine were built for the Royal Navy (RN), four Batch 1 and five Batch 2. One Batch 1 (HMS Clyde), the Falklands guard-ship, was decommissioned and sold to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.
The three remaining Batch 1 ships perform fisheries security and border patrol tasks in UK waters. The five new Batch 2 ships provide overseas Forward Presence, performing maritime security duties and disaster relief operations, often supported by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel.
The Batch 1 ships of the class replaced the seven ships of the Island class and the two Castle-class patrol vessels.
The River Class vessels are just under 80m in length and have a full load displacement of 1,700t. The design was carried out by Vosper Thornycroft, assisted by Three Quays Marine.
It has an aft helicopter flight deck for up to Merlin-sized helicopters, a larger MSI-Defence Systems DS30B 30mm gun, BAE Systems Insyte combat data system, Terma Scanter 4100 I-band surveillance radar, and Lockheed Martin Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS) with WECDIS software from OSI Geospatial.
The hull design gives very comfortable sea-keeping characteristics, even in high sea states, and the 4,125kW engine gives a full load maximum speed of 20kt in sea state 4. A semi-active stabilizer tank is installed for roll damping at all speeds, including when stationary. The vessels carry sufficient fuel, stores, and water supplies for an endurance of 21 days.
“No patrol is ever the same as the last, and we have conducted a particularly varied range of missions recently, culminating with the tracking of this Russian submarine as it passes the UK.”
Mersey was also on duty when the Kilo-class submarine made the reverse journey in October last year, as she returned from operations in the Mediterranean back to the Baltic.
