Archer class patrol vessel

The "Archer"-class is a class of patrol and training vessel in service with the British Royal Navy (RN).

History & operations

Ten vessels were ordered as the P2000 class, based on a design of an Omani coastguard cutter, from Watercraft Marine. They are twin-shaft vessels with moulded glass-reinforced plastic hulls. After that company went into liquidation, the balance of the order was completed by Vosper Thornycroft.

The "Archers" were initially used as RN patrol craft and as training tenders for the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and University Royal Naval Units (URNU). Four identical vessels were ordered for the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) as "Example"-class tenders. When that service was disbanded in 1994, the "Examples" were transferred to the RN for similar duties as their "Archer"-class brethren.

In 1998 two additional vessels of this design were commissioned into the RN from Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, to replace HMS "Loyal Watcher" and "Loyal Chancellor" as URNU training vessels to Cambridge and Oxford Universities respectively. This brought the total of "Archer" class vessels in the RN to 16, all of which are assigned to the 1st Patrol Boat Squadron (1PBS). Since 1991, 14 have been attached to URNUs (one per unit) under the command of a Lieutenant, RN. The remaining 2 vessels form the Cyprus Squadron. "Ranger" and "Trumpeter" were also formerly allocated to the Gibraltar Squadron for guard ship and search and rescue duties, but were replaced by the dedicated "Scimitar"-class. In this role they could be armed with pintle-mounted L7 7.62 mm GPMG machine guns.

All of the ships (with the exception of Ranger and Trumpeter) are due to reach the end of their operational lives in 2013.

Vessels

ee also

* University Royal Naval Unit

References

* "Britain's Modern Royal Navy", Paul Beaver, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5
* "Today's Royal Navy in Colour", Jeremy Flack, Greenwich Editions, 1996, ISBN 0-86288-089-0

External links

* [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.2194 Official Royal Navy "Archer"-class page]