| HMS Express (P163) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Express |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Vosper Thornycroft |
| Commissioned: | 1988 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2025[update] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Archer class patrol vessel |
| Displacement: | 49 long ton |
| Length: | 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Draught: | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, Rolls Royce M800T diesels, 1,590 bhp |
| Speed: | 18 knots |
| Range: | 550 nmi (1,020 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 5 (RN), 1 training officer (RNR), 12 students (URNU) or 12 (RN) |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Decca 1216 navigation radar |
| Armament: | 3 × 7.62 mm L7 GPMG (Cyprus Sqn.) (can be fitted with 20 mm cannon on fo'c'sle) |
HMS Express (P163) is an Archer-class P2000-type patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy.
Express was the only P2000-type vessel in the fleet to retain the black hull inherited from the original operator; the RNXS. She was also the only black-hulled surface vessel in the entire Royal Navy (all submarines are black). However, as the photograph shows, by April 2010 her hull was painted the standard Royal Navy battleship grey.
She is assigned to the Wales University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) from Cardiff, Swansea and Glamorgan Universities. The students are given the rank of Midshipman in the Royal Navy Reserve.
Up to 12 students from Wales URNU can be accommodated on board, as well as 5 permanent ships company drawn from the Royal Navy.
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The original article can be found at HMS Express (P163) and the edit history here.