HMS Spey recently conducted a surveillance patrol in support of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
The Offshore Patrol Vessel conducted monitoring and surveillance against illicit maritime activities, including ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean-flagged vessels, which are prohibited by United Nations Security Council resolutions, in the waters surrounding Japan.
It was the twelfth time a Royal Navy vessel engaged in such activities since 2018.
According to a Japanese Government statement:
“Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant UNSCRs in solidarity with the international community toward the realization of North Korea’s dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner.
As the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has also been conducting information gathering activities for vessels suspected of violating the UNSCRs, the Japan Ministry of Defense and Self-Defense Forces work closely with relevant countries and international organisations, including the United Kingdom.”
HMS Spey is the fifth and final of the second-generation River Class Offshore Patrol Vessels built for the Royal Navy. Both HMS Spey and HMS Tamar represent the UK’s commitment to persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Spey is currently operating in South East Asia and the Indian Ocean supporting Britain’s regional partners with anti-smuggling, fishery protection, border patrol and counter terrorism operations.
Nice to see the Royal navy out there. I just worry that our sailors are being put in harms way due to the lack of defensive weaponry on board. Maybe that dazzle paint scheme is more effective than they’re letting on.
Here we go again. It needs Mk41, a 127 gun, photon torpedos and lazers. No, seriously it just a 40mm Mk4, some LMM and a camcopter.
Even….Just an LMM pannier on the 30mm would be very useful. Deffo a more robust UAV than just an r/c plane.
Should an OPV be patrolling North Korea? Is that sensible without even the meanest weapon upgrade? Or is it because they won’t attack as that would cause an international riot so it’s OK?
Or is it because we have nothing better to contribute…
AA
Well the photo shows HMS Spey with HMAS Childers (ACPB 93) which is an Armidale-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy. That is only 300 tons with a single 25mm. All patrol vessels are partly just a peacetime trip wire.
No not with NK, these are patrols against the NK government. The NK government have and do attack patrols ships..they have blatantly torpedoed and sunk patrol vessels.
I don’t think North Korea feels threatened by a boat like that. What will it do ? Stop a North Korean warship? You are right the crew is being put in harms way. Even if north Korea sank it, zero action the UK can do ! Nuclear armed north Korea is not something to be messed with not even the Americans mess with them. Those boats are needed to protect UK waters, illegal fishing or those illegal boats . To Asia like Japan it looks like a big delusional joke ! They have like 30 plus destroyers . So they… Read more »
Your comment is the biggest joke of the day. Missing the point entirely.
RB the rivers are very marmite for some here, they do such a good value role. policing, cooperation, information gathering.
Unfortunately in the case of NK it’s a very bad idea to put a patrol boat close to its waters..interfering with its weapons smuggling.as a government it’s completely random and does not follow norms..it has and could again put a torpedo into a patrol boat…then just deny it….they have attacked a lot of vessels in their neighbourhood…in this case I think it’s a bit to much of an unpredictable and high threat area, that is difficult to read threat wise…personally I think the RN should be doing this patrol with ASW frigates as that’s the key risk.
Wow do you have a direct line into the Japanese Ministry of defence to make such concrete assumptions? The real purpose is of course far more nuanced than your take.
Well since NK have sneak attacked and sunk full fat corvettes with Significant weapons and sensors..if they think they can get away with it they have and will sink warships..and this patrol is against the NK government..so no an RN patrol ship should not be near it..and as the NK have used sub surface threats so really it needs to be an ASW vessel with an ASW rotor…NK are aggressive and will sink you.
Well since North Korea already sunk a South Korea corvette and damaged other warships maybe it is justified more than a trip wire.
So an attack in any of these ships should not be even considered a surprise.
I agree, Patrolling around NK is a very different proposition to any other armed state..they are profoundly unstable in regards to military action and consider themselves at war with any ally of South Korea.
I would consider giving it the 57mm ( non penetrating deck mount) And a suitable autonomous vessel…not sure what it would do with LMM to be honest.
Lmm is an easy fit and at minimal expense gives the ship a decent anti air/drone/surface vessel capability over and above the 30mm.
A 57 would be nice. But expensive and unlikely to be purchased. A few lmm panniers however…
AA
Not sure how they would fit LMM..the trial on a 30mm was not effective..you would also then need the magazine for it as well as access from magazine to gun and the weapon engineer’s trained in it ( at present it’s only in the fleet air arm)…you would need to increase the crew size by a small a amount for the extra weapon..swapping a gun for a gun will not change the crew it’s a simple capital expenditure.
I believe the trail WAS effective, but the back blast was an issue. The Rivers have more space so unless there IS something that could be blasted.. I also believe the rivers have a dedicated magazine space, one of the many upgraded alterations at build. will be one for the 30mm ammo in any case surely Would an RM detachment have the skills to load the panniers and so on? Obviously the gun would be better but it will never happen, whilst simply adding LMM panniers as required and upping the crew by a few for more for risky patrols… Read more »
I don’t think we should arm her to the teeth, because we know what would happen there.
But would like to see if she could be retrofitted with Bofor 40 like the Type 31 giving her better options for defence, which I think is possible as Thia navy version has a 76mm gun.
I,d hardly call a river class a warship , it’s too lightly armed to deter much
Boris Johnsons extended ego.
Exactly. On that basis we could increase the fleet on paper by putting 50 Cals on the Gosport ferries. Longer chains on the Torpoint Ferry with 7.62.
There have and are very lightly armed warships..it will probably have a function in war..not every warship is a high end fighting vessel..some patrol in safe waters.
Warship? That’s pushing it a bit!
well in reality they probably would have a role in war..( close patrol of safe waters under air over)…and not every warship is or was a full fat high end vessel.
These things are just a joke a 30mm cannon and nothing else what’s the point.
A joke? What would you prefer on an OPV meant for presence roles? Not every vessel needs arming to the teeth.
Well they are patrol ships for anti pirate, drug and general constabulary duties…for that they are very effective..their size means they have just about the best endurance of any patrol ship in the world.. very small crew make them cost effective in the extreme..they have space for fast boats and a marine boarding crew. A fight deck for autonomous surveillance or in distaster management a very large medium lift rotor.They can take a number of shipping containers for disaster management pods and have a crane for off loading and loading in poorly equipped ports ( disaster management). People forget that… Read more »
I’m not sure it’s a very good idea having a UK patrol boat doing patrol work close to North Korea’s coast..if we are going to support that particular mission we need to do it with an ASW frigate that has a Merlin on the back…this is not safe waters…North Korea can and will sink targets of opportunity if it can be done with deniability….let’s not forget the crew of the ROKs Cheonan a ship with a sonar fit and ASW weapons that was sunk killing 49 crew…South Korea knew who it was, the US knew who it was…but NK denied… Read more »
agree should not put crew at risk but they are undertaking anti smuggling operation not challenging north korea. they will know the political temperature out there working alongside japanese
Hi Simon, to be honest the North Korea’s have a history of attacking patrol ships and this patrol in their eyes is actually a hostile action..the patrols are not looking for random criminals, they are looking for state sponsored arms transfers..North Korea consider this hostile ( they consider themselves essentially still at war). In regards to North Korean attacks there has never really been political temperature…they act aggressively pretty randomly.
Sorry but with only 15 escorts there are no other available.
Don,t worry , when labour party arrive all ships eastern of Suez Will be removed.
To be honest in this case, we should only participate in this patrol if we have the correct vessel due to the risk. There are lots of western pacific frigate and destroyer navies in the region that can do this safely…the rivers should be doing constabulary work in the pacific..not being part of the containment of NK which is not constabulary work.
Once I am in the White House Pennsylvania Avenue circle with my Nigerian American wife Kate Grace Druzhinin Thomas Garcia,we will raise the issue of Putin and Medvedev commentaries after the strikes with ATACMS missiles in Crimea,as well as the coordination of British, Japanese policies in the Pacific ocean region. I am hope I would be appointed CIA director in Biden’s future government, despite the disastrous debate outcome in recent days where US President seemed at a loss and sickly. Hunter’s case would also be under surveillance and pardon since narcotics suppliers were to blame for his behavior. Trump’s agenda… Read more »
I generally look for a better class of political warfare from the wests enemies…G- try a lot harder.
You need to work harder, stand up comedy is not to be taken lightly and takes time to perfect. In light of that I suggest you don’t give up the day job…. unless it’s stand up comedy anyway.
Wonder if the batch 1 Rivers will be replaced when they leave service.