The Royal Navy’s final Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel is due to leave service in 2031, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed in response to a parliamentary question.
James MacCleary, Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, asked the Secretary of State for Defence for the proposed out-of-service dates for HMS Ledbury, HMS Cattistock, HMS Brocklesby, HMS Middleton and HMS Hurworth. Answering, Minister of State Luke Pollard set out a class-wide date rather than individual dates for each vessel, stating: “The Royal Navy is gradually phasing out its traditionally crewed and complex mine countermeasure vessels, as modern, autonomous systems are delivered. The last Hunt Class ship is due to leave service in 2031.”
The five ships named in the question represent the remaining Hunt-class vessels in Royal Navy service. Built in glass reinforced plastic to reduce their magnetic signature, the class entered service in the 1980s and has since formed a core part of British mine countermeasures capability, operating both in home waters and on extended deployments in the Gulf, where forward-based vessels have supported freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding waters.
The reference to autonomous systems reflects the Royal Navy’s mine hunting capability programme, under which crewed minehunters are being replaced by uncrewed surface vessels, towed sonars and remotely operated underwater systems operated from motherships or from shore. The approach is intended to keep personnel further from the minefield while retaining the ability to detect, classify and neutralise mines, and has been progressively introduced through trials and the delivery of autonomous minesweeping and mine hunting systems over recent years.
The Hunt class has already outlived its sister capability in the Sandown-class minehunters, which were withdrawn earlier in the transition, with several of those vessels transferred to overseas operators including Ukraine, Romania and Estonia. The Hunts have undergone successive upgrades during their service lives, including new engines and improved sonar, extending their availability well beyond their original design life.
The 2031 date for the final ship’s withdrawal sets the outer limit of the transition period during which crewed and autonomous mine countermeasures capability will operate alongside one another.
Nothing new, this has been scheduled for some time.
Still cuts disgrace
Ummm … perhaps some thought could be exercised re which countries should benefit from the Hunt class after OOS date? Specifically, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and/or the UAE could all benefit from mine warfare enhancement. Simply an idle thought … 🤔
Still trying to bide the fact that they are further cuts
A lot of senior Officers cut their teeth driving a sweeper.
The upstream hit on professional sea training is going to be painful, very painful.
Yep sadly they are seeing the mine-warfare vessels purely as a mine warfare capability that can be replaced by autonomous mine warfare capability, they are forgetting these are also commissioned warships and act as such..
They essentially need to have way more mine warfare motherships than 3 to replace the commissioned warship functions of the old mine warfare vessels ( crew development, flag showing, presence and patrol).
Still trying to bide the fact that they are further cuts
Can’t be many ships left to withdraw?
Government vandalism of Royal Navy and no one at the top wants to protest.
Don’t see any other Navies getting rid of their ships to go hybrid?
By all means supplement existing vessels with drone tech not just scrap everything – the carriers will be next!
Those sweeps will still be at sea plying their trade in twenty years time there are so many ex RN SHIPS STILL IN SERVICE with another nations navy especially eLRFA we are as usual shedding ships that one day might be needed by us
We need ships, the navy hasn’t enough shops, stop scrapping and move to adding. If nothing else crew learn to operate ships which isn’t a bad idea for a navy
But but…. What will we use to guard all the ceased Russian Tankers ?
LIttle thought these days for Secondary ops.
Even port visits to show youngsters the Navy..!
Drones and Unmanned is the current fad.
HMS Bangor a sandown class is still commissioned
There are more ex RN ships in service with other navies than our navy actually has!