HMS Spey (P234)
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 HMS Spey in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, December 2021 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Spey |
| Operator | Royal Navy |
| Ordered | 8 December 2016 |
| Builder | BAE Systems Naval Ships |
| Laid down | 21 April 2017 (1st steel cut) |
| Launched | 19 June 2019 |
| Sponsored by | Lady Alison Johnstone |
| Christened | 3 October 2019 |
| Commissioned | 18 June 2021 |
| Home port | HMNB Portsmouth[1] (forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region with primary logistics hub at the British Defence Singapore Support Unit in Singapore)[2] |
| Identification | Pennant number: P234 |
| Status | In active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Batch 2 River-class patrol vessel |
| Displacement | 2,000 tonnes |
| Length | 90.5 m (296 ft 11 in)[3] |
| Beam | 13 m (42 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) |
| Range | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) |
| Endurance | 35 days |
| Boats & landing craft carried | Two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) |
| Troops | up to 50 |
| Crew | 34-50[4][5][6][7] |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Merlin capable flight deck; small UAVs may be embarked[15] |
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 and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister ship HMS Tamar.
On 6 November 2013 it was announced that the Royal Navy had signed an Agreement in Principle to build three new offshore patrol vessels, based on the River-class design, at a fixed price of £348 million including spares and support. In August 2014, BAE Systems signed the contract to build the ships on the Clyde. The Ministry of Defence stated that the Batch 2 ships are capable of being used for constabulary duties such as "counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations". According to BAE Systems, the vessels are designed to deploy globally, conducting anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling tasks currently conducted by frigates and destroyers. A £287m order, for two further ships, Tamar and Spey, and support for all five Batch 2 ships, was announced on 8 December 2016.[16]
Batch 2 ships such as Spey include some 29 modifications and enhancements over the Amazonas-class corvette built by BAE Systems for the Brazilian Navy.[17] Tamar and Spey have further modifications such as carbon dioxide reducing catalytic converters.[18]
Spey was formally named on 3 October 2019.[19] In September 2020, Spey began the contractor sea trials,[20] and after they were completed, left the Clyde on 28 October for the delivery voyage to Portsmouth.[21]
