HMS Atherstone (M38)

HMS Atherstone was a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy, the third ship to bear the name. She was built by Vosper Thornycroft shipbuilders at Woolston, Southampton. She was launched on 1 March 1986 by Mrs Amy Jarvis, the wife of Mr Pat Jarvis, CB, the Deputy Controller of the Navy at the Ministry of Defence, and commissioned on 17 January 1987.[2] She was the tenth ship of her class.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Atherstone.

HMS Atherstone
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Atherstone
Namesake: Atherstone, Warwickshire
Builder: Vosper Thornycroft, Woolston, Southampton
Launched: 1 March 1986
Sponsored by: Mrs Amy Jarvis, wife of the then Deputy Controller of the Royal Navy
Commissioned: 17 January 1987
Decommissioned: 14 December 2017
Homeport: HMNB Portsmouth
Identification:
Nickname(s): The Crazy A
Status: Awaiting disposal
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel
Displacement: 750 t (740 long tons; 830 short tons)[1]
Length: 60 m (196 ft 10 in)
Beam: 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in)
Draught: 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
Propulsion: 2 shaft Napier Deltic diesel, 3,540 shp (2,640 kW)
Speed: 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement: 45 (6 officers & 39 ratings)
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Sonar Type 2193
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • SeaFox mine disposal system
  • Diver-placed explosive charges
Armament:

Operational history

She was accepted into service on 28 November 1986 and commissioned in Portsmouth in early 1987. The ship had a close association with the town of Atherstone, Warwickshire, and was latterly part of the 2nd Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Squadron based at Portsmouth, England.

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. She helped to provide assurance to merchant shipping, by conducting mine-countermeasure surveys in the main shipping routes throughout the region. She 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]

References
  1. "Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels - Specifications". GlobalSecurity.org. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. "HMS Atherstone". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  3. "HMS Atherstone returns home after more than three years in the Gulf". Royal Navy. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. "Core of Royal Navy's Middle East presence joins massive international minehunting exercise". Royal Navy. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  5. "Minehunters go undercover as Quorn and Atherstone begin revamp". Royal Navy. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  6. Reid, Nick (27 October 2017). "Royal Navy ship that carries town's name to be scrapped". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  7. "Notice of the potential sale of the Former HMS Athestone". Defence Equipment Sales Authority. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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