OFFSHORE PATROL VESSELS

RIVER CLASS

Patrol vessels are used for fishery protection and patrolling Britain's offshore gas and oilfield installations. In addition these useful ships can be used further afield, eg Castle Class vessels (now decommissioned) have been used in the Falklands patrol role.

A typical Offshore patrol vessel spends over 300 days at sea in a year.

Vosper Thorneycroft contracted in May 2001 for the construction, lease and support of four vessels over an initial ten -year period to replace the ships of the Island Class. Each vessel has a large working cargo deck that that allows the vessel to be equipped for a specific role such as disaster relief, anti-pollution, fire fighting, rescue work or interception of other vessels. Standard containers can be handled using a fitted 25 ton crane.

In late 2012 the Mod announced the outright purchase of the vessels for £39 million. The average annual running cost of a River Class patrol vessels (including maintenance) is approximately £20 million.

SHIP'S NAMES

The Ships Names and Badges Committee has the task of assessing all the possible names for new ships before making their recommendations through the First Sea Lord and the Secretary of State for Defence before final approval by Her Majesty the Queen.

A new class of Royal Navy warships will have a theme as advised by the First Sea Lord in consultation with the Controller of the Navy. Names of individual ships will be informed by a number of guiding principles including: names associated with a long and illustrious heritage, tradition, Battle Honours and names classically associated with a type of vessel. The naming of Royal Navy warships associated with an illustrious heritage instils a sense of pride, tradition and esteem in today's Royal Navy personnel.
 

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