According to information published by Stripes on August 3, 2021, the Royal Navy will permanently assign two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), HMS Spey and HMS Tamar to the Indo-Pacific region from later this year.
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River-class offshore patrol vessels HMS Spey 234 and HMS Tamar 233 (Picture source: Reddit)
The HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel built for the Royal British Navy. The River class is a class of offshore patrol vessels built primarily for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. A total of nine were built for the Royal Navy (RN), four Batch 1 and five Batch 2.
The Batch 2 ships are fundamentally different in appearance and capabilities from the preceding Batch 1. Notable differences include the 90.5 meters long hull, a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph), Merlin-capable flight deck, a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes and greatly expanded capacity for accommodating troops. The Batch 2 ships also have a different (full width) superstructure, and a fundamentally different above-water hullform shape (greater bow flare, different and less-pronounced forward knuckle line compared to the Batch 1 ships, lack of the distinctive forward and aft bulwarks of the Batch 1 vessels). The class is also fitted with the Kelvin Hughes SharpEye integrated radar system for navigation, the Terma Scanter 4100 2D radar for air and surface surveillance, and a BAE CMS-1 Combat Management System.
The HMS Tamar is powered by two diesel engines rated at 7,350kW each. The propulsion system also consists of two Wärtsilä propellers. The ship can reach 24 kn (44 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 5,500 nmi (10,200 km). She has an endurance of 35 days with a crew of 34 people.
The HMS Tamar is armed with one DS30B 30mm Mark 44 Bushmaster automatic cannon, two General purpose 7.62mm caliber machine guns and two Miniguns. The ship has a flight deck at the aft to operate a Merlin helicopter.
HMS Spey is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy. Named after the River Spey in Scotland, she is the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named Spey and is the fifth Batch 2 River-class vessel to commission.
