The Royal Navy’s uncrewed mine-hunting vessel RNMB Ariadne has successfully docked inside its mothership RFA Lyme Bay for the first time, a step toward a potential multinational operation to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The 12-metre uncrewed surface vessel was manoeuvred into the floodable dock of RFA Lyme Bay in waters off Gibraltar following extensive operational trials in the waters off Portland in Dorset. The docking was completed successfully on the first attempt.
Lieutenant Commander Craig Wadley, operations officer with Commander UK Mine Counter Measures Force, said: “This was a successful first day of operations and great to see the integration of Ariadne with Lyme Bay.”
Ariadne was designed and manufactured in the UK and uses the Thales TSAM towed sonar system to hunt for mines on the seabed. During trials off Portland, the Royal Navy’s Maritime Capabilities, Trials and Assessment team tested the accuracy of the sonar against a target on the seabed recently surveyed by HMS Magpie, gathering evidence of Ariadne’s capabilities ahead of potential operational deployment. Although personnel were embarked during trials as a safety measure, Ariadne is designed to operate without a crew and can be controlled both locally and from a Portable Operating Centre.
The trials were conducted alongside Mine Threat Exploitation Group’s Yankee Squadron, a hybrid unit of Mine Warfare Operators supported by Marine and Weapons Engineers, established to enable the deployment of next generation autonomous systems. Lieutenant Ryan Sweet, officer in charge of Yankee Squadron’s unit 1, said the trials had drawn to a close an extensive period of operating the Maritime Mine Counter Measures system at Portland, describing the prospect of contributing to multinational operations with autonomous mine-hunting equipment as “exciting and challenging.”
Lieutenant Tommy Walters from the MCTA team said: “As modern warfare continues to evolve at pace, it is essential that the Royal Navy advances alongside it. The work conducted here is a vital step in delivering credible, future-ready mine countermeasure capability.”
Following the Portland trials, Ariadne was transported to Gibraltar aboard HMS Stirling Castle before being guided into RFA Lyme Bay’s dock by Yankee Squadron personnel. Once inside, water was drained from the dock and the vessel was placed on a cradle in the hull. Commanding Officer of RFA Lyme Bay, Captain Simon Herbert RFA, described it as “a very successful week,” saying the ship had been re-roled as an Afloat Forward Support Base mothership for mine-hunting operations, demonstrating “the versatility and flexibility of the Bay class and the RFA.”
The Royal Navy is preparing for a potential multinational Strait of Hormuz mission, with the UK and France planning strictly defensive operations aimed at restoring confidence among commercial shipping using the critical trade route. Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has already arrived east of the Suez Canal as part of those preparations.
Potentially an amazing capability for the Royal navy. It’s a real pitty we sold the fourth Bay class. I wonder if Australia would give her back.
We have sold just about everything!
Yes, short term idiocy for a tiny saving, under a stupid ideology.
My concern is that the 3 mother vessels planned under MHC, due for main gate this year, survive, and are not “replaced” by the 3 Bays, a standard HMG trick.
No matter how flexible they are, let the Corps of RM have SOME vessels for use.
Not sure, bigger is better, if you need a crane and a well deck then what can’t you also be a logistics/amphibious vessel as well as MCM.
Perfect! 3 roles in one hull! Just as I fear.
HMG will love it. Until that hull needs to fulfill multiple roles in more than one place.
Surely the Bay class is doing exactly that – showing that it can be configured to be credible in either role; MCM mothership or LPD /LSD. If we get dedicated ships for each role, all is well and good. But if we don’t then what’s the alternative – an Arrowhead with a slipway? Bay class + 5in + Ceptor = MRSS?
We all need to be careful about equating anything painted grey as a warship. Lyme Bay is a merchant ship built to relevant standards and is very much a second line vessel not built for war fighting. She might look like a LPD but she most certainly isn’t.
Minewarfare mothership, general logistic and amphibious support she can deliver so 4-6 of these of a similar size with a hangar would be the most straightforward and cost effective purchase for the RN.
Personally I see much smaller dedicated MCM motherships as too specialist and the use of cranes (or slipway) in open water lifting sizeable drone craft as only something a lunatic would undertake.
That leaves the question of what the MRSS should actually look like but if these vessels are genuinely going to be capable of amphibious insertion (raids or more) then they need to be more expensively designed front line warships. My take on that would be an Ocean sized ship with a well deck (yes an LHD) but not built for F35 but the future, which is drones.
Smaller vessels (strike frigates) might be attractive but they cannot carry the logistical support or larger raiding craft required even for a small force of Bootnecks.
Hmmm … as a result of this successful trial, has the Bay Class consequently assumed the role of the “Afloat Forward Operating Base mothership for mine-hunting operations,” in perpetuity? Should we suspect this is the result of the evil machinations of HMT/Rachel from Accounts, or merely a fortuitous, expedient, short-term measure?
Out of Interest, just how much of a Leap Is this over a manned equivalent ? It seems to still require a large human chain to operate and I’d guess humans will need to be able to intervene should it falter ?
Big question is, will It be retired before Trump actually ends his two day war ?
The leap is that squishy meat bags don’t need to go into waters full of high explosives. Basically the operators are in a shipping container that can be ashore or on board a ship. The need for crew for all ship board tasks has been reduced to those needed to operate the ROV, sonar and those needed to keep the kit maintained. It will be definitely out of service by 2050 so no Trump’s special operation will not have ended before its retirement.
Pity Lyme Bay is not uncrewed and following a far larger Mother ship along with a dozen more Lyme bays. We should also have many more scattered around the world ready for use.