HMS Speedy (P296)

HMS Speedy
HMS Speedy at Portsmouth, 1982
History
RN EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Speedy (P296)
OperatorRoyal Navy
Ordered29 June 1978[1]
Builder
Laid down1978[2]
Launched9 July 1979
Sponsored byMrs Margaret Jay, at the time wife of Peter Jay, UK Ambassador to the United States
Completed1980+[2]
Commissioned1980
Out of serviceFor disposal in December 1982[2]
HomeportHMNB Portsmouth, Hampshire
Identification
FateSold into mercantile service in 1986.
NotesPennant number: P296
General characteristics
Displacement117 long tons (119 t)[2]
Length
  • Hull-borne: 90 feet (27 m)[2]
  • Foils retracted: 101 feet (31 m)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 90 feet (27 m)[2]
Beam
  • Hull-borne: 30 feet (9.1 m)[2]
  • Foils retracted: 30 feet (9.1 m)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 30 feet (9.1 m)[2]
Draught
  • Hull-borne: 17 feet (5.2 m)[2]
  • Foils retracted: 7 feet (2.1 m)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 8 feet (2.4 m)[2]
Propulsion
  • Hull-borne: 2 x Detroit GM diesel engines, producing 1,100 brake horsepower (820 kW)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 2 x Allison gas turbines, producing 7,560 horsepower (5,640 kW)[2]
Speed
  • Hull-borne: 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)-15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)[2]
Range
  • Hull-borne: 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi)[2]
  • Foil-borne: 560 nautical miles (1,040 km; 640 mi)[2]
Endurance23 long tons (23 t) of fuel
Complement18[2]
ArmamentDesigned for 2 × 7.62mm GPMGs on single mountings. Never fitted.[2]
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Speedy.

HMS Speedy (P296) was a Boeing Jetfoil, latterly a mine countermeasure vessel, of the Royal Navy, based on the civilian Boeing 929 design. She was procured in 1979, as the first of a planned class of twelve, to provide the Royal Navy with practical experience in the operation of a hydrofoil, to ascertain technical and performance characteristics, and to oversee the capability of such a craft in the Fishery Protection Squadron and North Sea Squadron.[3][2] She was assigned to these squadrons in September 1981.[2] In 1982, she was used in minesweeping and minelaying trials at Portsmouth, but these were unsuccessful and she was sold into mercantile service in 1986.[4][2] As of 2019, she is serving as a high speed ferry between Hong Kong and Macau, under the name Lilau.[5]

  1. ^ Peter Blaker, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (27 October 1981). "Service Men (Rehabilitation)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Commons.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z Cocker, Maurice (2006). Coastal Forces Vessels of the Royal Navy from 1865. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 075243862X.
  3. ^ Brown, D.K., J.P. Catchpole, & A.M. Shand (1984). "The Evaluation of the Hydrofoil HMS Speedy". Royal Institution of Naval Architects Transactions. 126: 16. ISSN 0035-8967.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Colledge. Ships of the Royal Navy. p. 329.
  5. ^ "Vessel details for: LILAU (Hydrofoil)". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 13 May 2019.