Royal Navy formally commissions HMS Forth
The Royal Navy has formally commissioned the first of its next-generation OPVs, HMS Forth, the navy announced on 13 April.
HMS Forth is the first of five new OPVs designed for counter-piracy, anti-smuggling, fishery protection, border patrol, counter terrorism and maritime defence operations. The vessel is classified as a Batch 2 River-class OPV, and her sisters – Trent, Medway, Tamar and Spey - are a significant upgrade on the original vessels that were designed and built 15 years ago.
HMS Forth will enter service in 2018, while the remaining four ships are all expected to arrive in Portsmouth by 2020.
Built by BAE Systems, HMS Forth is designed for a total crew of around 58, but requires only 34 to go to sea. The new OPVs are faster than their predecessors at 24 knots, have an increased range of 5,500 nautical miles, a 30mm automatic cannon as their main armament, two mini-guns, four machine-guns and are equipped with two Pacific 24 sea boats.
Each ship has an extended flight deck to operate up to Merlin size helicopters. They can accommodate up to 50 embarked Royal Marines for boarding and supporting operations ashore if required.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
-
![Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America]()
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.
