River-class offshore patrol vessel

Batch 1 River-class vessels HMS Severn, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey exercising off the coast of Cornwall, 2012
Class overview
NameRiver class
Builders
Operators
Preceded byCastle class
Subclasses
Built2001–present
In commission2003–present
Planned14
Completed14
Active
  • 8 (Royal Navy)
  • 3 (Brazilian Navy)
  • 2 (Royal Thai Navy)
  • 1 (Royal Bahrain Naval Force)
General characteristics
TypeOffshore patrol vessel
Displacement
  • Batch 1: 1,700 t (1,700 long tons)[1][2]
  • Batch 2: 2,000 t (2,000 long tons)[3][4]
Length
  • Batch 1: 79.5 m (260 ft 10 in)[2][5]
  • Batch 2: 90.5 m (296 ft 11 in)[1][3][4]
Beam
  • Batch 1: 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)[1][2]
  • Batch 2: 13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)[1][3]
DraughtBatch 1: 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)[2]
Propulsion
  • Batch 1:
    • 2 × Ruston 12R270 diesel engines, 8,250 kW (11,060 hp), 2 shafts
    • 2 × controllable-pitch propellers
  • Batch 2:
    • 2 × MAN 16V28/33D diesel engines, 14,700 kW (19,700 hp), 2 shafts
    • 2 × controllable-pitch propellers
Speed
RangeBatch 1 & 2: 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi)[1][5][4]
Endurance
Boats & landing
craft carried
Troops
Complement
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament
Aviation facilitiesBatch 2: Merlin-capable flight deck;[3][4] small UAVs may be embarked[18][19]
Notes
  • Batch 1: 25-tonne crane[20]
  • Batch 2: 16-tonne crane[4]

The River class is a class of offshore patrol vessels built primarily for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. A total of nine were built for the Royal Navy (RN), four Batch 1 and five Batch 2. One Batch 1 (HMS Clyde), which was the Falklands guard ship, was decommissioned and transferred at the end of its lease to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force.

The three remaining Batch 1 ships perform fisheries security and border patrol tasks in UK waters. The five new Batch 2 ships provide overseas forward presence, performing maritime security duties and disaster relief operations, often supported by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel.

The Batch 1 ships of the class replaced the seven ships of the Island class and the two Castle-class patrol vessels.

HTMS Krabi was the first of two ships adapting the River design for the Royal Thai Navy and built in Thailand. The three ships of the Amazonas-class offshore patrol vessel in service with the Brazilian Navy were developed from the Batch 1 River-class design, and the Royal Navy's Batch 2 ships were in turn based upon the Amazonas design.


Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Offshore Patrol Vessels". BAE Systems. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference Steve Bush 2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Ministry of Defence (10 October 2014). "First steel cut on new patrol ships". gov.uk (Press release). Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Construction begins on new Royal Navy warships". BAE Systems (Press release). Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  5. ^ a b c "River-class". Royal Navy. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Royal Navy's OPVs Deployed in Indo-Pacific Begin Third Year". Sea Waves Magazine. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  7. ^ Wodecki, Ben (14 April 2022). "Royal Navy to Deploy Autonomous Mine Detectors". AI Business. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Autonomous systems – the future of Royal Navy mine warfare". Navy Lookout. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "River-Class Offshore Patrol Vessels, UK".
  10. ^ "River Class | Royal Navy".
  11. ^ @navylookout (30 July 2020). "HMS Forth to commission into the Royal Navy on Monday 3rd August" (Tweet). Retrieved 30 July 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "Introducing the Royal Navy's new Offshore Patrol Vessels".
  13. ^ "Britain orders Kelvin Hughes radar system". United Press International. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Terma's SCANTER 4100 radar system has been selected and ordered by BAE Systems for integration on board Royal Navy's OPVs" (Press release). Terma A/S. 17 December 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Combat Management Systems". BAE Systems. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  16. ^ a b "River-Class Batch 2 OPV 'HMS Trent' Commissioned With Royal Navy". Naval News. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  17. ^ "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  18. ^ "HMS Trent gears up for impending Africa mission". Royal Navy. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Royal Navy warship assists West African nations with maritime security". Royal Navy. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  20. ^ "River Class". Naval Technology. Retrieved 19 October 2019.