 HMSSpey inPearl Harbor,Hawaii, December 2021 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSSpey |
| 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 |
| Homeport | HMNB Portsmouth[1] (forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region with primary logistics hub at theBritish Defence Singapore Support Unit in Singapore)[2] |
| Identification | Pennant number: P234 |
| Status | In active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Batch 2River-classpatrol 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 | 25knots (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] |
HMSSpey is a Batch 2River-classoffshore patrol vessel of theRoyal Navy. Named after theRiver Spey inScotland, she is the eighthRoyal Navy ship to be namedSpey and is the fifth Batch 2 River-class vessel tocommission and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister shipHMS 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 theClyde. TheMinistry 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 byfrigates anddestroyers. A £287m order, for two further ships,Tamar andSpey, and support for all five Batch 2 ships, was announced on 8 December 2016.[16]
Batch 2 ships such asSpey include some 29 modifications and enhancements over theAmazonas-classcorvette built by BAE Systems for theBrazilian Navy.[17]Tamar andSpey 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]
On 7 January 2021, HMSSpey was handed over to the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. In late spring 2021,Spey received"dazzle" camouflage in Falmouth in preparation for deploying to the Indo-Pacific region withTamar.[22]Spey was commissioned into the Royal Navy at her affiliated town, Invergordon on 18 June 2021.[23] On 7 September,Spey andTamar departed Portsmouth to be forward deployed to the Indo-Pacific region for a minimum of five years.[24]
On 21 January 2022,Spey was deployed toTonga as relief aid due to the2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami.[25] In March a survey by the ship revealed that Henderson Island - part of thePitcairn chain in the south Pacific had been mislocated in a survey in 1937 by one mile (1.6 km).[26]
In 2023,Spey was deployed toAustralia.[27]
In 2024HMS Spey made her inaugural visit toIndia following in the wake ofHMS Tamar and anchored inPort Blair, a strategic port in theAndaman and Nicobar Island groups following exercises conducted withIndian NavyPatrol boats.[28] In April, the ship embarked aPuma unmanned air vehicle team from700 Naval Air Squadron for operations in theEast China Sea.[29] In June 2025, HMS Spey transited the Taiwan strait.[30]
During one of her maintenance periods in Singapore, the ship was fit with the new advanced Helicopter Visual Landing Aid System (HVLAS) to enhance her aviation capabilities.[31]
See video
 Royal Navy | |
|---|---|
 Royal Thai Navy | |
 Royal Bahraini Naval Force |
|
 Brazilian NavyAmazonas class | |
| Aircraft carriers |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submarines |
| ||||||||
| Destroyers |
| ||||||||
| Frigates |
| ||||||||
| Amphibious warfare ships |
| ||||||||
| Mine counter measures vessels |
| ||||||||
| Patrol vessels |
| ||||||||
| Survey vessels |
| ||||||||
| Miscellaneous |
| ||||||||
