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The Hunt class has already outlived its sister capability in the Sandown-class minehunters, which were withdrawn earlier in the transition, with several of those vessels transferred to overseas operators including Ukraine, Romania and Estonia.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.
