The Royal Navy’s specialist mine-hunting mothership HMS Stirling Castle has completed a delivery of vessels and equipment to Gibraltar as preparations continue for a possible operation to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The ship sailed from her home port of Portsmouth carrying four specialist mine-hunting vessels, three rigid-hulled inflatable boats and more than 20 containers of equipment, along with further freight of varying size and complexity. Stirling Castle handed the cargo over to RFA Lyme Bay, the Bay-class auxiliary identified by the Royal Navy as the mothership for any future Middle East mine countermeasures effort.
The transfer was carried out in Gibraltar, where Lyme Bay had been undergoing maintenance and taking on equipment ahead of a potential deployment to the Gulf.
Stirling Castle normally operates in UK waters as a floating base for autonomous mine-hunting systems, but her large mission deck and 100-tonne crane suited her to moving and lifting the specialist load. According to the Royal Navy, the work was carried out over long days in high temperatures in both the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, and required sustained effort from the ship’s company and embarked personnel.
Commanding Officer Commander Philip Harper said the task fell outside the ship’s usual remit but demonstrated her adaptability. “Stirling Castle has been delighted to deliver cargo to RFA Lyme Bay in Gibraltar,” he said. “It isn’t our normal role, but it has highlighted the flexibility of my ship, which is new to the Royal Navy.” He added that the crew had benefited from the short-notice tasking and had completed the onload and offload within demanding timelines.
During her visit, Stirling Castle also became formally affiliated with Gibraltar. Leaders of the British Overseas Territory and the ship signed a Memorandum of Understanding at a ceremony aboard the vessel in Gibraltar Naval Base, attended by more than 50 guests including Governor General Sir Ben Bathurst, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo MP and Commander British Forces Gibraltar, Commodore Tom Guy. The arrangement adds to the ship’s existing ties with the Scottish city of Stirling.
It will be really interesting to see how Lyme Bay operates in this role once given the chance. She certainly seems vastly superior to Hunts and Sandowns who would have needed a Bay class near by to do the mission anyway.
I wonder if she will be carrying any Wildcats for protection against drones and small boats. Phalanx onboard will also be very important compared to anything a normal minesweeper could do.
She Isn’t going anywhere near the place until all hostilities have ended.
Apparently Hostilities will end 3 times tomorrow, 4 times on Tuesday and twice weekly until sometime in the 2030’s . They were going to end two days after Trump rained hellfire and fury but he didn’t like their deal.
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Cannot tell by the photo if Stirling has grey paint scheme yet, I don’t think so.
Not yet unfortunately. She is reportedly the first RN vessel to be directly affiliated with Gibraltar (in the same way that other warships have cities).
“Castle Rock” then. 😎
Thanks.
Surprising, given Gibs historic connections to the Royal Navy.
Hang on a cotton picking moment….
So this dedicated Mine countermeasures ship, bought to carry out this specialist job, offloads all her kit to a Grandmother ship that wasn’t ?
The Future of MCM seems rather cloudy.
Maybe we could just send POW Instead ?
Oh hang on, She’s Broked down agin !
Confused from Cambridge… AKA #B.O.
I understand that Stirling Castle was only for home waters and trials.
Abroad is the 3 MHC motherships, if the DIP still includes them.
If not, we’re stuffed.
Wasn’t it thought that the 3 dedicated mcmv motherships would be Kongsberg ‘Vanguard’ or similar – combine with an order for River 1 replacements. I do wonder whether the DIP hasn’t been held up by not knowing when or whether Norway will order Merlin for its ASW, although I thought that was a done deal – part of the T26 package. Also read in the DT this morning that CGAP funding will be pushed back so expect Tempest in 2040 not 2035. Govt struggling to make do with £18b 4 yr package instead of the £28b in the SDR. Personally I think a Babcock order for 3 more T31 and extended / replaced / additional Bays would be a smarter way to go. Roll on the DIP….
Maybe we should sell Scotland.
Wee pennies laddie. Rumour has it though that Reeves is planning a 100 per cent tax on motor homes to pay for the MOD.🎆
Wouldn’t surprise me !!!
ROFL 🤣
Yes, read all that. I wonder how many have realised with GCAP is costing 12 billion to even develop, never mind actually buy any jets?
Defence is literally fighting for survival, yearly.
You’ll buy a lot of other kit with that.
HMG will not fund enough, we’ve covered this already, it’s all words and all spin. They have their own priorities.
I would like to think that we could pause, think and come up with a rational new plan for UK forces, but no, a politician would only think of another completely pointless SDR
I think we should get back to basics. Proper competition for equipment at VFM prices rather than the Exorbitant costs for everything we buy now.
Ukraine Is showing this alternative thinking daily with no Gold plated Navy or Airforce.
Improvisation and Ingenuity are reaping huge rewards.
Couldn’t agree more. We seem to have an investment death wish on procurement. If the private sector worked like this they would be going ynder one after the other. There are all sorts of alternative stragegies in the commercial world to work round a problem and there is no reason why the government cannot do the same.
NO SDR is strategic beyond the desire to save money. Even supposed good ones like 97 were a list of Defence cuts.
Efficiencies = cuts.
Modernisation = cuts.
Rationalise = cuts.
What else? Oh yes, agile, at pace, and “keeping us all safe” is one that every minister has inserted, parrot fashion, into anything they utter.
Delouse after every statement my friend.
More common sense would be a good start. defence spending should surely follow foreign polict. Where do we want to be?, What do we want to acheive? If our policy is to go all nuclear we buy the best, if we want to be about disaster relif we buy the best. Two extreme examples I know, but politicains seem to be incapable of lateral thinking.
It’s true but then what combat aircraft would you be buying in 2050 and who could you rely on to provide them.
Who says we will even need a manned one the way Drones are going?
What’s stopping BAES building a combat Drone?
This government will NOT put the money into Defence that is needed years ago to fund both GCAP and recapitalise elsewhere.
So yes, we can fund this, and lose dozens of programs Defence needs elsewhere.
From reports, they’re so skint they still won’t commit beyond the 600 million put in to keep it going till June.
I predict this will end like most others. Late. Vastly over budget. Tiny number of platforms to what the RAF needed. Tens of Billions spent with other areas of Defence wrecked to keep the soveriegn capability going and the MIC fed, as always.
What should be happening is HMG fully committing to both. But they’re not, are they?
So, what do we lose to fund GCAP?
Looking at the speed of drone development I think GCAP will be scrapped in favour of an unmanned fighter which should be quicker to develop, build and deploy. I would also expect significant cost savings which will be good for other areas defence.
Taranis? I wonder what happened to that? Pound to a penny Bae could develop a UAV with a decent range and payload. Much though I like the idea of GCAP is it really going to happen now? I don’t know but with our likely future governments I doubt it.
Taranis was at the time, The most Technical project ever undertaken (or words were used to that effect) It was a scaled Test Aircraft for future technologies but I think It sort of merged with the French version (?) and quietly disappeared. There was talk of fancy Stealth and some sort of new wing lift thingy, using air (?)
Dunno much about It but I do remember reading stuff.
Lots of stuff supposed to have flown from Warton mate. Ever hung about up there?
You could take your battle bus up there.
Yes, but I live to hope..
Yes, it’s not looking good for Tempest. Considering our depleted military and struggling national finances. I’m not even sure if Tempest is the right fit for the UK anymore. Perhaps we should have gone for the single engine fighter option all along? Something more affordable and cheaper to run.
The French would love to develop the small single engined euro 6th gen. If GCAP ( and possibly T83) funding is pushed back its possible that other big ticket items like GBAD and MRSS have survived. Lets hope so. Press reports today that the creative Ms Reeves is looking at PFI rather than borrowing as a way of financing infrastructure projects – juggling to create more money for defence. More toll roads and road charging are the way to go in any case, as EV numbers increase.
And changing how salary sacrifice pension contribitions work. I’m not convinced by PFI… it’s semi-privatisation. What would we do… ‘rent’ our Tempest fighters when we need them? I know we already do this with the tanker fleet, but it seems like fudging the issue. You have the full capability on paper, but not in reality. I don’t think the people in Westminster care either way. They just want the problem to go away and PFI solves the politics.
The PFI reference is an ‘exclusive’ on the front page of the DT and mentions infrastructure. I don’t have a subscription so I can’t read more detail. My understanding is that Reeves’ current fiscal rules allow her to borrow for infrastructure e.g. new roads, rail, airports etc but not to directly fund an increase in defence; this has to come out of taxes. So my guess is that what she is thinking of, is finessing the rules by getting PFI to fund things like the proposed lower Thames crossing (£10b.) Users would pay tolls. Co-incidentally £10b is the shortfall in the SDR – DIP 4 year funding gap. Not saying that the Dartford crossing is a 4 year project but you get the idea. PFI was a scam for hospitals because all it did was push the govt spending can down the road. But for things like road infrastructure it would be ok; the user would pay tolls, just like the French motorways.
In that case it does make sense.
Ahh, the war on the motorist continues then !!!!
It’s certainly just like a War nowadays, the Cops are out to get you with their Guns and the roads are full of Bomb Craters.
That’s If you can afford the Petrol/Diesel/Electric.
You need to get with the program. Get the Elon brain chip fitted, think your desired journey and the AI Uber Google drone will collect and deliver you.
Where’s the fun in that ?
I’m still using the standard brain, It’s a wonderful thing, we are fast losing any freedoms we once had due to the large Tech companies.
Zombies walk our streets, oblivious to all around them, transfixed on Tik Tok and mindless drivel 24/7.
I’m glad I’m old !
I had lots of fun having 3 attempts to buy the correct replacement phone charger cable 😧
that’s nothing, I always find the wrong hole 😁
Well I Guess It wouldn’t matter which waters she was working in if she had to hand over to a Bay Class.
Hey ho, I’m sure It’s all part of the plan.
A plan?
Defence seems, in many cases, to improvise when ordered by HMG to deploy due to lack of assets by taking from elsewhere. Not ideal, but I’m sure they’ll grandstand anyway.
Just sptted this one Daniele. A plan.? Thats a good’un. What a laugh. 😅
Interestingly, Proteus is now filling the space in Portland, where Stirling Castle seemed to spend most of It’s time.
She Is at least “Grey”.
Stirling Castle is not a warship. It cannot operate in contested waters. It’s only meant as a test bed for MCM.
Thanks, never knew that 🤦♂️
It was reported by NavyLookout today that she may likely have embarked Marine National MCM equipment from Toulon. Multinational interoperability between close NATO allies being shown in action, many tut around here but that’s where all of Europe’s strength as a collective comes from.
It increasingly looks like Lyme Bay will be designated as the command ship for a multi-national mine clearance force. Two Italian MCMVs (Crotone and Rimini) have already transitioned Suez and are now berthed in Djibouti. Other MCMVs and supporting ships from the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and France are hanging around in the Eastern Med, waiting for the “go order” from their governments. Obviously the “flagship” CdeG and her CSG will provide cover, although the carrier, air group and crew will surely be exhausted and need replacement by August, The assumption seems to be Italy will then take over by deploying Cavour to the region. Interesting to see if any non-European countries offer a contribution – Australia, probably, Japan maybe, but what about Saudi Arabia, or even China, India, Indonesia, etc.
China Is playing a Blinder.
Keeping well out and just sitting watching all the silliness.
Glad there is no rush.
Im from Stirling, didn’t even know about HMS Stirling Castle. Nice.
She’s often moored In the Moat.
HMS Stirling Castle normally operates in UK waters as a mine counter measures mothership, could they just stop whoever is placing mines in UK waters please… Seems a very odd statement.
“He added that the crew had benefited from the short-notice tasking and had completed the onload and offload within demanding timelines.”……
I’m calling bullsh1t ! Aye, everyone likes getting mucked about at short notice. This kind of rhetoric shows a staggering disregard for your people and a willingness to spout guff to further your career. Its an absolute mystery why retention is an issue.