Sandown-class minehunter
.jpg) HMS Grimsby | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sandown |
| Builders: | Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy Royal Saudi Navy Estonian Navy |
| In service: | 1989 |
| Building: | 0 |
| Completed: | 15 |
| Active: | 15 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Single role mine hunter |
| Displacement: | 484 tons |
| Length: | 52.5 m |
| Beam: | 10.9 m |
| Draught: | 2.3 m |
| Propulsion: |
Paxman Valenta 6RP200E diesels 1523 shp, diesel-electric drive Voith Schneider Propellers Schottel bow thrusters |
| Speed: | 13 kts diesel, 6.5 kts electric |
| Complement: | 34 (7 officers) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Kelvin Hughes 1007 navigation radar Thales 2093 variable-depth sonar |
| Armament: |
30 mm KCB gun 7.62 mm GPMG machine guns Remote controlled submersibles as mine countermeasures |
The Sandown-class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy. Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy (Merevägi). 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.
These small (53 m) 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 be also be updated. The first ship (ex Sandown), delivered in 2007, has been named Admiral Cowan,[1] the second (ex-Inverness), was delivered in 2008 and named Sakala and the last (ex-Bridport) named Ugandi in 2009.
Ships
| Name | Pennant number | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Home port | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | ||||||
| Sandown | M101 | Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston | 1988 | 1989 | Sold to Estonia as Admiral Cowan | |
| Inverness | M102 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1990 | 1991 | Sold to Estonia as Sakala | |
| Cromer | M103 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1990 | 1992 | Dartmouth | Training ship, renamed Hindostan |
| Walney | M104 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1991 | 1992 | Faslane | decommissioned |
| Bridport | M105 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1992 | 1993 | Sold to Estonia as Ugandi | |
| Penzance | M106 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1997 | 1998 | Faslane | Active |
| Pembroke | M107 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1997 | 1998 | Faslane | Active |
| Grimsby | M108 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1998 | 1999 | Faslane | Active |
| Bangor | M109 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1999 | 1999 | Faslane | Active |
| Ramsey | M110 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1999 | 2000 | Faslane | Active |
| Blyth | M111 | Vosper Thornycroft | 2000 | 2001 | Faslane | Active |
| Shoreham | M112 | Vosper Thornycroft | 2001 | 2001 | Faslane | Active |
| Royal Saudi Arabian Navy | ||||||
| Al Jawf | Vosper Thornycroft | |||||
| Shaqra | Vosper Thornycroft | |||||
| Al Kharj | Vosper Thornycroft | |||||
| Estonian Navy | ||||||
| Admiral Cowan | M313 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | 2007 | Tallinn | Active |
| Sakala | M314 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1990 | 2008 | Tallinn | Active |
| Ugandi | M315 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1992 | 2009 | Tallinn | Active |
See also
Media related to Sandown class minehunter at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ↑ Estonian Review, Volume 16 No. 39, 4-10 October 2006, accessed 2011-06-10
- Britain's Modern Royal Navy, Paul Beaver, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5
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