HMS Challenger (K07)

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Challenger
Ordered	9 October 1979[1]
Builder	Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock[2]
Launched	19 May 1981[2]
Commissioned	1983[1]
Decommissioned	1990 (Royal Navy)
Fate	Sold, 1993
Notes	In Royal Navy Service, equipped with a Towed Unmanned Submersible (TUMS), and could carry and deploy LR5 submarine rescue submersible.
Namibia
Name	MV Ya Toivo
Namesake	Andimba Toivo ya Toivo
Operator	NAMCO (2000–2003) De Beers (from 2003)
Acquired	2000
In service	December 2000
Identification	IMO number: 7907697
Status	In active service
Notes	Fitted out and operated as a mining vessel (seabed diamond extraction)
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Seabed Operations Vessel[2]
Displacement	6,500 t (6,397 long tons) standard 7,185 t (7,072 long tons) full[2]
Length	134.1 m (440 ft 0 in) o/a[2]
Beam	18 m (59 ft 1 in)[2]
Draught	5 m (16 ft 5 in)[2]
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 5 × 6,200 shp (4,623 kW) RKC Ruston 16-cylinder diesel engines, coupled to 2,500 kW alternators driving electric motors (main propulsion) 2 × 6RKC diesel engines (auxiliary power) 2 × Voith Schneider Propellers aft 3 × bow thrusters[2][3]
Speed	15 knots, approx.
Complement	185[1]
Sensors and processing systems	Sonar: Plessey Type 193M[1]
Aviation facilities	Helicopter deck (in Namibian service)

HMS Challenger (pennant number K07) was a Royal Navy diving support vessel, operational from 1984 to 1990.

Challenger had a saturation diving system allowing 12 divers to live in relative comfort in a large diving chamber amidships.^[4]