RN decommissions minehunters ahead of transfer to Ukraine
HMS Blyth during its decommissioning ceremony. (Photo: MoD/ Crown Copyright.)
The UK RN has paid off two Sandown-class minehunters, paving the way for their transfer to Ukrainian service.
The RN has decommissioned two Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels, HMS Blyth and HMS Ramsey, after 51 years of combined service.
Both vessels have seen extensive deployments and were the first to be sent to Bahrain when the UK Government saw a requirement for a permanent minehunter presence in the Gulf.
Following dockyard works, the ships will be transferred to the Ukrainian Navy, serving on the Black Sea.
In June, the UK, Babcock and Ukraine signed a tripartite Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) in Odessa, providing the latter with two minehunters and eight new Babcock-developed missile boats.
The MoI also opened the door for the potential sale of Babcock’s Arrowhead 140 frigate design to Ukraine –alluding to it when referring to plans to deliver a ‘modern frigate capability’.
In UK service, the two ships are being replaced through Project Wilton, which aims to introduce an autonomous minehunting capability. Three autonomous boats are already in service at Faslane, Scotland.
Following leave, Blyth’s crew will take charge of another Sandown-class minehunter, HMS Grimsby, later this year.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Sandown Class Minehunters [Ukraine]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system]()
MARSOC selects upgraded Shark Marine dive navigation system
MARSOC is procuring the Shark Marine Dive Tablet 2 to address a longstanding combat diver navigation capability gap, improving underwater positioning, situational awareness and integration with existing diver propulsion vehicles.
-
![SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort]()
SOF Week 2026: NSW expands commercial UxS push to maritime platforms as USASOC advances FPV drone effort
The US Army Special Operations Command and Naval Special Warfare are accelerating efforts to integrate commercial uncrewed systems, with NSW broadening its solicitation to include USVs and UUVs alongside new requirements for ISR, kinetic operations and swarm technologies.
-
![SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission]()
SOF Week 2026: US Navy USV completes record eight-day autonomous mission
The MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV has set a new endurance benchmark as the US Navy pushes deeper into autonomous maritime warfare.
-
![A closer look at the US Navy’s $268 billion investment in shipbuilding by 2031]()
A closer look at the US Navy’s $268 billion investment in shipbuilding by 2031
The recently released USN 2026 Shipbuilding Plan anticipates the procurement of 185 crewed and uncrewed platforms in the next five years.
