HMS Archer (P264)
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Archer |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Watercraft Marine |
| Launched: | 25 June 1985 |
| Homeport: | Rosyth |
| Identification: | Pennant number: P264 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2013[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Archer class patrol vessel |
| Displacement: | 54 tons |
| Length: | 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Draught: | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power: | Rolls Royce/Perkins CV12 diesels, 1,590 bhp |
| Propulsion: | Two shafts |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Range: | 550 nautical miles (1,020 km; 630 mi) at 15 knots |
| Complement: | 5 (RN), 1 training officer (RNR), 12 students (URNU) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Decca 1216 navigation radar |
| Armament: | None (mounting for 20 mm cannon on fo'c'sle) |
HMS Archer is the lead ship of the Archer-class. As the lead ship she was one of the few of her class to be completed (in 1985) by Watercraft Marine, the original shipbuilders - most of the remaining vessels were completed or built by Vosper Thornycroft.
She was till Summer 2012, attached to Aberdeen Universities' Royal Naval Unit (URNU) and based in Aberdeen Harbour. As such, Archer was the most northerly homeported Royal Navy ship.
As of summer 2012, The ship is now homeported in Rosyth Dockyard and is the ship for the Edinburgh URNU.
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Early service [edit]
The Archer class were built as RNR training vessels, but after finding little use, were transferred to URNU service.
URNU service [edit]
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Archer became the training ship of Aberdeen URNU in 1991, succeeding Chaser. The role of a training ship within each URNU is to provide opportunities for students to receive practical training and gain experience afloat. Archer's programme can be divided into two durations of training - a weekend or the longer deployments that take place during the university Easter and summer holidays.
Activities onboard include navigation and seamanship training, breakdown or man overboard exercises and visits from local dignitaries or senior RN officers.
_%26_HMS_Archer_(P264)_%26_HMS_Explorer_(P165).jpg)
Deployments in the Easter and summer holidays venture further afield, Archer has visited ports from the Western Isles and east coast of Britain to the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the Baltic. These longer deployments are often undertaken in company with other P2000s such as Example and Explorer.
In Summer 2012, the ship was moved to Rosyth Dockyard to serve the newly formed Edinburgh URNU and to increase the presence of the Royal Navy in Edinburgh.
Crew composition [edit]
Archer is permanently crewed by five Royal Navy personnel, captained by a lieutenant. Chief petty officers fill the roles of executive officer and marine engineering officer, and the yeoman and weapons engineering officer are junior rates of the appropriate service branches.
With students embarked (up to a maximum of 12), a training officer is usually present who is typically an Royal Naval Reserve lieutenant or sub-lieutenant.
Affiliates [edit]
- HMS Vanguard
- Stonehaven SCC TS CARRON[1]
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: HMS Archer (P264) |
- Aberdeen Universities Royal Naval Unit
- BBC Scotland News Report of HMS Archer facing navy review (15 April 2010)
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