The Royal Navy has decommissioned minehunters HMS Blyth and HMS Ramsey at a ceremony held in Rosyth, Scotland, after 41 years of collective service.
The ships are being replaced by the expanding Project Wilton drive to introduce autonomous/uncrewed boats and systems into minehunting, which is an initiative being pioneered at Faslane where three boats are already in service.
However, this is not the end for the minehunters as they will be transferred to the Ukrainian Navy once further work on them is completed.
According to the Royal Navy, both Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessels served careers spanning 21 years and 175,000 miles for Ramsey and 185,000 miles and over 20 years for Blyth, supporting operations in the Middle East, around the UK, and on NATO duties in northern European and Mediterranean waters.
Sources: Naval Today
