Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel

For other ship classes, see Hunt class.

Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel
HMS Ledbury in Portsmouth 2007
Class overview
Builders:	Vosper Thornycroft Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited
Operators:	Royal Navy Hellenic Navy Lithuanian Naval Force
Built:	1978–1988
In commission:	1979–
Completed:	13
Laid up:	2
General characteristics
Displacement:	750 long tons (762 t)
Length:	60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Beam:	9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)
Draught:	2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft Napier Deltic diesel, 3,540 shp
Speed:	17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h)
Complement:	45 (6 officers & 39 ratings)
Sensors and processing systems:	Sonar Type 2193
Armament:	As built: 1 × 40 mm Bofors Mark 9 3 × 7.62mm general purpose machine guns 2 × PAP remotely controlled vehicles MS 14 magnetic loop Sperry MSSA acoustic generator K8 Oropesa sweeps Diver-placed explosive charges Final configuration: 1 × 30 mm MSI DS-30B gun 2 × Mk44 minigun 3 × 7.62mm general purpose machine guns SeaFox mine disposal system Diver-placed explosive charges

The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. As built, they combined the separate roles of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull, but later modifications saw the removal of mine-sweeping equipment. They have a secondary role as fisheries patrol vessels.

Upon introduction in the early 1980s they were the largest warships ever built out of glass-reinforced plastic and are the last in operation to use the Napier Deltic diesel engine. All were built by Vosper Thornycroft in Woolston except Cottesmore and Middleton, which were built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited on the River Clyde. Quorn was the last ship of the class launched.

The capabilities of the remaining eight vessels of the Hunt class have been significantly enhanced by the installation of Sonar Type 2193 and the NAUTIS 3 command system. The performance of Sonar 2193 exceeds that of any other mine hunting sonar in service in the world today and is capable of detecting and classifying an object the size of a football at a distance of up to 1,000 metres. In late 2007 Chiddingfold used the Seafox drone, the Royal Navy's mine disposal system, during Exercise Neptune Warrior off Scotland. Seafox is described by the MOD as a "state of the art fire and forget system, capable of destroying mines in depths of up to 300 metres".

Ships

Navy	Name	Pennant	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Home port	Status
Royal Navy	Brecon	M29	Vosper Thornycroft	1978	1980	HMS Raleigh	Decommissioned, 2005
	Ledbury	M30	Vosper Thornycroft	1979	1981	Portsmouth	Active
	Cattistock	M31	Vosper Thornycroft	1981	1982	Portsmouth	Active
	Cottesmore	M32	Yarrow Shipbuilders	1982	1983	Portsmouth	Decommissioned, 2005; Sold to Lithuania as the Skalvis; arrived 9 December 2010
	Brocklesby	M33	Vosper Thornycroft	1982	1982	Portsmouth	Active
	Middleton	M34	Yarrow Shipbuilders	1983	1984	Portsmouth	Active
	Dulverton	M35	Vosper Thornycroft	1982	1983	Portsmouth	Decommissioned, 2005; Sold to Lithuania as the Kursis; arrived 20 May 2011
	Bicester	M36	Vosper Thornycroft	1985	1988	Portsmouth	Sold to Greece as Europa
	Chiddingfold	M37	Vosper Thornycroft	1983	1984	Portsmouth	Active
	Atherstone	M38	Vosper Thornycroft	1986	1986	Portsmouth	Active
	Hurworth	M39	Vosper Thornycroft	1984	1985	Portsmouth	Active
	Berkeley	M40	Vosper Thornycroft	1986	1986	Portsmouth	Sold to Greece as Kallisto
	Quorn	M41	Vosper Thornycroft	1988	1989	Portsmouth	Active
Hellenic Navy	Europa	M62			2001	Salamis	Active
	Kallisto	M63			2000	Salamis	Active
Lithuanian Naval Force	Skalvis	M53			2011	Klaipėda	Active
	Kuršis	M51			2011	Klaipėda	Active

External links

• • Royal Navy Hunt class page.