HMS Atherstone was a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy, the third ship to bear the name. Built by Vosper Thornycroft shipbuilders at Woolston, Southampton, it was launched on 1 March 1986 by Amy Jarvis, the wife of Pat Jarvis, CB, the Deputy Controller of the Navy at the Ministry of Defence, and commissioned on 17 January 1987.[2] It was the tenth ship of its class.
Operational history
HMS Atherstone was accepted into service on 28 November 1986 and commissioned at HMNB Portsmouth on 17 January 1987. The ship had a close association with the town of Atherstone, and was latterly part of the 2nd Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Squadron based at Portsmouth.
In December 2015, Atherstone returned from the Persian Gulf after a two-year deployment as part of Operation Telic in the Middle East,[3] in support of coalition operations to promote and maintain peace in the Persian Gulf. It helped to provide assurance to merchant shipping, by conducting mine-countermeasure surveys in the main shipping routes throughout the region. It participated in 2014 IMCMEX.[4]
After spending a period alongside in extended readiness, Atherstone was lifted out of the water into the "Minor War Vessels Centre of Specialisation"; the former shipbuilding hall at HMNB Portsmouth in December 2016 in readiness to enter refit[5] However, in October 2017 it was revealed that the planned refit would not take place and Atherstone would be decommissioned on 14 December 2017.[6] On 3 June 2020, the stripped down Atherstone was advertised for sale.[7] It was sold in June 2022 to Harland & Wolff with the intention of utilising parts in the refurbishment of HMS Quorn for the Lithuanian Navy, and then rebuilding it for non-military use.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "HMS Atherstone". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "HMS Atherstone returns home after more than three years in the Gulf". Royal Navy. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Core of Royal Navy's Middle East presence joins massive international minehunting exercise". Royal Navy. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Minehunters go undercover as Quorn and Atherstone begin revamp". Royal Navy. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ Reid, Nick (27 October 2017). "Royal Navy ship that carries town's name to be scrapped". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Notice of the potential sale of the Former HMS Atherstone". Defence Equipment Sales Authority. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
- ^ "Harland & Wolff acquires former HMS Atherstone". Belfast: Harland & Wolff. 1 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ News in Brief Ships Monthly August 2022 page 14
External links
Media related to IMO 4906666 at Wikimedia Commons
- "HMS Atherstone". Royal Navy.
