A&P Defence is delivering the reactivation refit of the River class offshore patrol vessel, HMS Severn, as part of an ongoing support contract with BAE Systems.

The vessel was originally decommissioned in October 2017 as previously the plan was to replace the Batch 1 River class  Offshore Patrol Vessels with the newer Batch 2 vessels. However, it was announced last year that all vessels will be retained.

Currently in A&P Falmouth’s Dry Dock Three, the 2,109 tonne vessel is undergoing an extensive refit programme and follows a similar programme of work to its sister vessel, HMS Mersey, which docked in Falmouth at the end of 2018.

Work on HMS Severn includes a full tail shaft survey, inspection of the anchor, cables and sea valves, full intersleek paint work on the hull, installation of new davits including all steel work and cabin removals, new electrical installation, complete regeneration of all cabins as well as an overhaul of the system pumps with electric motors and water tight doors and hatches.

The A&P team will work closely with OEM subcontractors and BAE Systems say the firm, which is working on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, throughout the project. The refit programme is being overseen by the Commercially Supported Shipping team within Defence Equipment and Support, the MOD’s procurement organisation.

Gerald Pitts, Managing Director of A&P Defence said:

“We have a strong history of supporting the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems and this coupled with our knowledge of the River Class vessels, was instrumental in securing this contract. We pride ourselves on our collaborative and commercial approach to projects such as this, something we have shown throughout our longstanding relationship with the MOD.  Thanks to our commitment to delivering on time and to budget, we will ensure the vessel returns to service as quickly as possible.”

A&P Defence recently secured the £239M Future In-Service Support contract from the Ministry of Defence for the Bay Class vessels – RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Cardigan Bay and RFA Lyme Bay – as well as RFA Argus and Ocean Survey Vessel HMS Scott, in October 2018.

Bill Page, Head of Contracts for Availability, BAE Systems Maritime Services, said:

“We are proud to support the Royal Navy’s fleet of Offshore Patrol Vessels, and to be tasked with the regeneration of HMS Severn. Our partnership with A&P Defence is a proven one, and we look forward to working closely with them to return HMS Severn to Operational Service.”

A&P Group operates seven dry docks across four locations in the UK.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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10 COMMENTS

  1. Then we will sell it for 1 million…..

    Jokes aside I’m glad the batch 1s are getting this work done they will last another few years in service and it might make the RN want to keep them a bit longer. I always think the gun looks so so tiny on these OPVs like it’s not even there!.

  2. Sadly I’m not home to confirm, but I believe she is now afloat and alongside. Happy to be corrected.

    Good to see that the work is progressing well. It always felt rather silly to lose the Batch One vessels, so I’m happy to see them retained.

  3. Is 2109 tonnes correct? I thought the Batch 1’s were +- 1800 tonnes and only HMS Clyde with her extended flight deck was 2200 tonnes. Still-nice to see them retained

    • From memory, not accounting for any mid-life upgrades, the three Batch One vessels are 1700 tonnes, with Clyde and the five Batch Two vessels being ~2000 tones.

  4. The question has to be….. will they be fitting mk 41’s and a five incher? They will need something heavy duty to keep those pesky frenchy fishermen out of our waters!

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