Sandown class minehunter

Sandown-class minehunter
HMS Grimsby
Class overview
Name:	Sandown
Builders:	Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston
Operators:	Royal Navy Royal Saudi Navy Estonian Navy
In service:	1989
Building:	0
Completed:	15
Active:	15
General characteristics
Type:	Single role mine hunter
Displacement:	484 tons
Length:	52.5 m
Beam:	10.9 m
Draught:	2.3 m
Propulsion:	Paxman Valenta 6RP200E diesels 1523 shp, diesel-electric drive Voith Schneider Propellers Schottel bow thrusters
Speed:	13 kts diesel, 6.5 kts electric
Complement:	34 (7 officers)
Sensors and processing systems:	Kelvin Hughes 1007 navigation radar Thales 2093 variable-depth sonar
Armament:	30 mm KCB gun 7.62 mm GPMG machine guns Remote controlled submersibles as mine countermeasures

The Sandown-class is a class of minehunter originally built for the British Royal Navy. Sandown-class vessels also serve with the Royal Saudi Navy and the Estonian Navy (Merevägi). The first vessel was commissioned into Royal Navy service on 9 June 1989 and all the British ships are named after coastal towns and cities.

These small (53 m) fibreglass vessels are single role mine hunters (SRMH) rather than minesweepers. Twelve ships were built for the Royal Navy and three ships were exported to Saudi Arabia. Three Royal Navy vessels were decommissioned following the Strategic Defence Review in 2003; Sandown (January 2005), Inverness (April 2005) and Bridport (July 2004). A further ship, Cromer, was decommissioned and transferred to a training role at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 2001 as Hindostan.

The three decommissioned vessels were sold to Estonia in September 2006. They were re-equipped with TCS (Tactical Control System) and the Atlas Elektronik Seafox ROV for mine disposal. The sonar system will be also be updated. The first ship (ex Sandown), delivered in 2007, has been named Admiral Cowan, the second (ex-Inverness), was delivered in 2008 and named Sakala and the last (ex-Bridport) named Ugandi in 2009.

Ships

Name	Pennant number	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Home port	Status
Royal Navy
Sandown	M101	Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston	1988	1989		Sold to Estonia as Admiral Cowan
Inverness	M102	Vosper Thornycroft	1990	1991		Sold to Estonia as Sakala
Cromer	M103	Vosper Thornycroft	1990	1992	Dartmouth	Training ship, renamed Hindostan
Walney	M104	Vosper Thornycroft	1991	1992	Faslane	decommissioned
Bridport	M105	Vosper Thornycroft	1992	1993		Sold to Estonia as Ugandi
Penzance	M106	Vosper Thornycroft	1997	1998	Faslane	Active
Pembroke	M107	Vosper Thornycroft	1997	1998	Faslane	Active
Grimsby	M108	Vosper Thornycroft	1998	1999	Faslane	Active
Bangor	M109	Vosper Thornycroft	1999	1999	Faslane	Active
Ramsey	M110	Vosper Thornycroft	1999	2000	Faslane	Active
Blyth	M111	Vosper Thornycroft	2000	2001	Faslane	Active
Shoreham	M112	Vosper Thornycroft	2001	2001	Faslane	Active
Royal Saudi Arabian Navy
Al Jawf		Vosper Thornycroft
Shaqra		Vosper Thornycroft
Al Kharj		Vosper Thornycroft
Estonian Navy
Admiral Cowan	M313	Vosper Thornycroft	1988	2007	Tallinn	Active
Sakala	M314	Vosper Thornycroft	1990	2008	Tallinn	Active
Ugandi	M315	Vosper Thornycroft	1992	2009	Tallinn	Active

References

• Britain's Modern Royal Navy, Paul Beaver, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5