Royal Navy's new patrol vessel HMS Tamar is ready for action and will be based in Portsmouth.

Britain’s newest warship is ready for front-line duties – just five months after the first sailors stepped aboard HMS Tamar. In what is thought to be the fastest generation of a warship in peacetime, the Portsmouth-based ship has gone from incomplete lifeless hulk at the beginning of 2020 into a vessel ready to deploy around the globe by August.
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Royal Navy's new patrol vessel HMS Tamar is ready for action and will be based in Portsmouth. (Picture source: Royal Navy)

Bringing Tamar to life has been made all the more challenging by the pandemic – and the fact that most of the 61 crew are new to River-class ships. Most have come from frigates and destroyers, even carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The ship has spent 13 of the 17 weeks since she sailed from Govan at the end of March – with the yard going into lockdown as the ship headed down the Clyde – at sea.

The ship has a dedicated mess for more than 50 troops/marines/additional personnel – ideal for the wide range of maritime security roles that Tamar is designed to undertake.

The class is at the vanguard of the RN’s Forward Presence programme, stationing ships around the globe in regions key to UK interests/security as well as in-home waters.

Royal Navy's new patrol vessel HMS Tamar is ready for action and will be based in Portsmouth. (Picture source: Royal Navy)

About the HMS Tamar:

HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the British Navy. Named after the River Tamar, she is the fourth Batch 2 River-class vessel to be built and was formally commissioned on 4 June 2020

The Batch 2 River-class ships are fundamentally different in appearance and capabilities from the preceding Batch 1. Notable differences include the 90.5 metres (296 ft 11 in) 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 River-class ships also have a different (full width) superstructure and a fundamentally different above-water hull form shape. 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 Batch 2 River-class is powered by 2 × MAN 16V28/33D diesel engines developing 14,700kW/19,700HP. It is armed with one Bushmaster 30 mm cannon, two Miniguns and two General purpose machine guns.