Sandown-class minehunter

HMS Ramsey at HMNB Clyde, 2011
Class overview
Name	Sandown class
Builders	Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston
Operators	Royal Navy Estonian Navy Royal Saudi Navy
In service	1989
Completed	15
Active	13
Laid up	1
Retired	1
General characteristics
Type	Minehunter
Displacement	600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons)
Length	52.5 m (172 ft 3 in)
Beam	10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draught	2.3 m (7 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	Paxman Valenta 6RP200E diesels 1,523 shp (1,136 kW) Diesel-electric drive Combimac electric motors 100kW Voith Schneider Propellers Schottel bow thrusters
Speed	13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement	34 (accommodation for up to 40)
Sensors and processing systems	Radar Type 1007 I-Band/Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar Sonar Type 2093
Electronic warfare & decoys	SeaFox mine disposal system Diver-placed explosive charges
Armament	1 × 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Gun 3 × Miniguns 2 × General purpose machine guns

The Sandown class is a class of fifteen minehunters built primarily for the Royal Navy by Vosper Thornycroft. The Sandown class also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy. The first vessel was commissioned into Royal Navy service on 9 June 1989 and all the British ships are named after coastal towns and cities. They have a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels.

Development

These small (53 m (174 ft)) fibreglass vessels are single role mine hunters (SRMH) rather than minesweepers. Twelve ships were built for the Royal Navy and three ships were exported to Saudi Arabia. Three Royal Navy vessels were decommissioned following the Strategic Defence Review in 2003; Sandown (January 2005), Inverness (April 2005) and Bridport (July 2004). A further ship, Cromer, was decommissioned and transferred to a training role at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 2001 as Hindostan.

The three decommissioned vessels were sold to Estonia in September 2006. They were re-equipped with TCS (Tactical Control System) and the Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV for mine disposal. The sonar system will also be updated. The first ship (ex-Sandown), delivered in 2007, has been named Admiral Cowan, the second (ex-Inverness), was delivered in 2008 and named Sakala and the last (ex-Bridport) named Ugandi in 2009.

Ships in the class

Navy	Name	Pennant number	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status
Royal Navy	Cromer	M103	Vosper Thornycroft	1990	1992	Decommissioned, now a training ship at Britannia Royal Naval College (as Hindostan)
	Walney	M104	Vosper Thornycroft	1991	1992	Decommissioned
	Penzance	M106	Vosper Thornycroft	1997	1998	In active service
	Pembroke	M107	Vosper Thornycroft	1997	1998	In active service
	Grimsby	M108	Vosper Thornycroft	1998	1999	In active service
	Bangor	M109	Vosper Thornycroft	1999	1999	In active service
	Ramsey	M110	Vosper Thornycroft	1999	2000	In active service
	Blyth	M111	Vosper Thornycroft	2000	2001	In active service
	Shoreham	M112	Vosper Thornycroft	2001	2001	In active service
Royal Saudi Navy	Al Jawf	420	Vosper Thornycroft			In active service
	Shaqra	422	Vosper Thornycroft			In active service
	Al Kharj	424	Vosper Thornycroft			In active service
Estonian Navy	Admiral Cowan	M313	Vosper Thornycroft	1988	1989 / 2007	In active service, former HMS Sandown (M101)
	Sakala	M314	Vosper Thornycroft	1990	1991 / 2008	In active service, former HMS Inverness (M102)
	Ugandi	M315	Vosper Thornycroft	1992	1993 / 2009	In active service, former HMS Bridport (M105)

See also

• Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel

References

• Beaver, Paul (1996). Britain's Modern Royal Navy. Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1-85260-442-5.

External links

• "Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Sandown Class". Royal Navy.