| HMS Smiter (P272) | |
|---|---|
 HMS Smiter on the River Clyde flanked by two Rigid Raiders from the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines. | |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Smiter |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Watercraft Marine |
| Laid down: | 1985 |
| Launched: | 1985 |
| Completed: | 22 January 1986 |
| Commissioned: | 4 September 1986 |
| Homeport: | HMNB Clyde |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2024[update] |
| Badge: |
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| 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 (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Range: | 550 nautical miles (1,020 km; 630 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| 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 Smiter is an Archer-class patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy.
On being accepted into service, she initially served with the Clyde Division of the Royal Naval Reserve until 11 October 1990. She then transferred to the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) of Glasgow. In September 2012 she became the training vessel Oxford University Royal Naval Unit . She replaced HMS Tracker in this role, which transferred to the Faslane Force Protection Squadron.
The Oxford University Royal Naval Unit is one of 14 URNUs supporting the countries' leading Universities in England, Wales and Scotland. The organisation's Mission is to "educate a wide spectrum of high calibre undergraduates who show potential as society's future leaders and opinion formers in order to better inform them of the need for and role of the Royal Navy, and to develop awareness of career opportunities in the Service."
Students from the URNU get the chance to deploy on sea weekends or sea days aboard the ship, where they learn how to handle and navigate the vessel under the instruction of the permanent RN crew of five. The ship also goes on twice yearly deployments, at Easter and in the summer.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Smiter (P272). |
- HMS Smiter page at Royal Navy website
- URNU homepage Royal Navy Website
- HMS Smiter in Dover Harbour March 2013
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The motto of HMS Smiter is 'strike hard and often'.
The original article can be found at HMS Smiter (P272) and the edit history here.