Four Royal Navy patrol boats have been operating under Estonian command in the Gulf of Finland and Tallinn Bay as part of a two-month Baltic deployment designed to strengthen interoperability and show allied resolve near Russia’s border.
The P2000 class vessels HMS Pursuer, Express, Puncher and Dasher from the Coastal Forces Squadron trained alongside the Estonian Navy’s EML Ugandi, a former Royal Navy minehunter sold to Tallinn in 2009.
Ugandi acted as a mother ship, providing mid-sea support while the British craft practised close manoeuvres and fast-boat coordination drills.
Lieutenant Edward Winter, commanding officer of HMS Express, said: “It was great to operate alongside the EML Ugandi and meet the ship’s company today. In so doing, we demonstrated the UK’s resolve to support our NATO allies.”
The exercise took place just weeks after three Russian MiG-31 fighters crossed into Estonian airspace, an incident that heightened regional concern and prompted renewed allied activity under the Joint Expeditionary Force, or JEF.
Major Steven Maguire, the UK’s deputy defence attaché in Tallinn, said the cooperation underlined Britain’s long-standing commitment to Estonia. “Just over 100 years ago the Royal Navy stood shoulder to shoulder with Estonia in its war of independence and that support has never wavered,” he said. “Today we see more violations of Estonia’s sovereignty. Exercises such as this demonstrate our continued and deep commitment to Estonia, both as a partner nation and NATO ally.”
For the four P2000s, small and fast vessels that normally operate close to shore, the deployment marks an unusually long mission. Since leaving their home ports they have travelled more than 1,500 miles, practising swarm tactics and fast-boat manoeuvres with Baltic partners such as the Latvian Navy and coast guard.
Uh oh….,where’s Andy R?
He posted earlier.
Not sure exactly what use a small unarmed boat doing a sedate 40kmh will be in a combat zone. Likewise, I am not sure exactly what “fast boat drills” they would be able to practice. Sounds more of a case of sending something, anything, to fly the flag.
‘Swarm tactics’… Sounds like they were acting as threat forces at least some of the time e.g. simulating small (autonomous) boat threats that might operate out of St Petersburg if things continue to deteriorate.
Cheers CR
What they are definitely not is fast because at 24Kn flat out they are pedestrian at best.
Could do with an engine swap, maybe a couple of “Busa” lumps, that’s the normal “Go To” for Speed records !
“Busa” is the shortened name for “Hayabusa” which has legendary fame in the two wheel world of Speed and Acceleration records.
Bloody good road bikes too, shame they are restricted to 186 though.
It would also be a good name for a new plane. Hayabusa I believe is translated to Peregrine Falcon. Japan had used the name for a WW” fighter, so it has precedence.
Yes DB, It’s been used for many Japanese products. The Suzuki Hayabusa Bike was introduced in the late 90’s to take the Top Speed Crown which it did by beating the Honda “Blackbird” (which was also the name of the SR71 ((fastest at the time)) ) It was rumored to be a bit of Humour as the Hayabusa name is given to the Perigrine Falcon which Kills Blackbirds !
If you know Motorcycles, It’s a legend and now into It’s third Generation allthough not the fastest anymore.
Kawasaki came up with the H2, a non road legal version has some 340PS which is erather a lot.
Practicing their future doctrine around managing naval drone swarms I would imagine. The thing is you don’t need cutting edge capability to practice doctrine ..just the correct mass.
As for not fast these boats have a speed related to the sea states you find around the UK and 24kns for a small boat around the UK is going to kick the shit out of the crew.. 24kns on the Baltics is more pedestrian ( it’s a lovely sailing lake).
These are essentially training boats and possibly inshore harbour security boats.. nothing more nothing less. And they are doing training..
As you know, they’re usually allocated to the URNUs.
I’d like to see them given a greater IS role.
We need assets.
Yes that would work for them. I don’t believe many of them have the capability to be armed, which would be helpful.
I’d read a 20mm?
I think it’s only a few of them maybe 6 that are FFBNW 20mm.
Sending the boats over to the Baltic allows the Estonians (and Latvians?) the chance at command and small boats they might be but ask the Japanese what they thought of PT boats and our Royal Navy about S-Boats… especially our aircraft carriers in the Med.
Sending one is a gesture, sending 4 is a message.
Of course, we all want 50 T26, however, that is not going to happen; so praise this deployment.
Mmmm. I’ve seen the odd post on here arguing that the RN should have a Coastal squadron of Vospers vintage 70ft MTBs to replace the Archers. Cheaper than a T26.
In the shoite load of stuff the RN need, not sure where that would be on the list of priorities.
Get the RN to 30+ escorts and 12 SSN, then let’s talk about extras 🙂 😀
Well thank God you turned up !
Now make a joint account “halfdimwit”.
A few Visbys might be good for Estonia. Why not buy from the Swedes and they’re close by? Isn’t Babcock building a patrol type vessel for Ukraine, why not the same for Estonia? Anythong oing to replace theses P2000s?
For their size, I think the Visbys are the best corvettes out there, unfortunately probably too pricey for Estonia. Possibly even too pricey for Sweden, who gave up on the second generation Visbys for frigates that won’t cost that much more. Everyone’s going bigger. Look at the new frigate-sized Finnish corvettes. Babcock have two horses entered into the Swedish frigate race, including the T31/140. But corvettes or frigates, these are all ships. The Archers are boats, only 100th of the displacement of a T31. Very different beasties.
The last time the royal navy had properly armed fast patrol boats was in the 1970’s which, were brave borderer and brave swordsman and they were armed with two 40mm Bofors guns and two 21 inch torpedo tubes and at the time they were the fastest warships in the world with a top speed of over fifty knots. Maybe it’s time to have something along these lines flying the white ensign again
Sounds like a job for Kraken!
Ahhh, “Brave Borderer” Top Trumps speed winner but crap in every other catagory ! Wasp was my winning card of choice !
Mahogany and gas turbines. What’s not to like ? 😂
What would the UK possibly do with a torpedo and gun armed fast attack craft ?
1) the sea states around the UK are brutal on small and fast.. all you will do is have the whole crew vomiting into a bucket just before they are hospitalised with head injuries and broken limbs.. honestly 40 knots on an average winters day sea state in the North Sea on a small boat would be a kill me now and get it over with event.. and I love going fast on small Boats and have never managed to get sea sick no matter how hard I’ve tried ( eating a huge cake while corkscrew at high speed across the bay of gib with a whole family vomiting everywhere around me was my best effort… on my shoes was well out of order…. 🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤪🤪
2) what would be the target exactly ? It cannot attack SSNs or sub surface drones.. would you want a small crewed vessel to chase after a small surface one way drone packed with explosives ? That’s asking to kill matelots for no reason.
What the UK needs for EEZ defence is decent 2000-3000 ton patrol ships with sensors, working decks, cranes and flight decks for air, sub surface and surface drones to find stuff doing naughty things.. as well as adequate self defence ( 57mm bofors ) the air assets can then be called in to drop the effectors.
Completely agree with need for more capable ships for UK waters. To be of any use against the air and sub-sea threats we would face in any conflict with the Orcs, these would need a useful loadout of anti-air missiles, anti-UAS systems and some ASW find and kill capability, including UUVs, plus a UAV recon/ISTAR resource.
That dictates a corvette-size vessel of 3,000 tonnes or so.
France and Italy are builing a common European corvette of 3,400 tonnes, which coulf fit the bill. Or the Khareef
class large OPVs BAE supplied to Oman would be a good
concept and design starting point.
There is no point asking small IPBs like the Archers to take on this kind of deep sea escort job, they are training boats that could do harbour and inshore defence at most.
One advantage of having a batch of capable corvettes would be for convoy protection, if we once again find ourselves protecting.our sea lanes against a submarine threat. We don’t currently have, and are very unlikely to get, any spare escorts for UK patrol or convoy work.
When the three River 1s reach their OSD in 3 years time, we should.look to replace them with three rather larger and better-armed corvettes as a start..
There is a possible opportunity in using the T91 and T92 for these roles. If the RN do go down the optionally manned route, the Sensor Effector Platform, be that the anti-air warfare (AAW) or the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) versions, would make a decent sloop/small corvette. If based on the Triton trimaran hull, at 10m long and above 2000t. Would make a good seaworthy ship, plus have the space for a decent armament. I feel it would be a more sensible option for a more fighty OPV.
The losing BAE Leander offering for T31 was based on the 99m Khareef corvette, as was the batch 2 River hull I think.
The three B1 Rivers still look good, had their fresh coat of paint, don’t right-them off just yet, they have their place. Maybe have an upgraded radar and 30/40mm and able to handle a a Peregrine uav?
We haven’t got the money for more-capable OPVs for home waters, but unless we buy some kind of replacements for the B1s, the reality is that we’ll end up losing the overseas Rivers, bringing them back to the UK. So I would buy half-a-dozen cheaper, smaller, non-fighty patrol ships. Militarily it’s a poor choice, but that’s the best we can afford, and the alternative is shrinking the Navy’s capabilities abroad, yet again: something to be avoided at all costs.
Ref S boats. They had a minimum of 4 torpedoes, 35mm or 20mm cannons.. They also had the ability to drop mines off to Blockade waterways. It is a shame and a sham that the best we can do, with a dwindling Royal Navy iss send Plymouth Sound and Solent patrol and returning submarine Escort boats. MoD police have better boats!