HMS Pembroke is back with the Royal Navy ahead of schedule and ready for action after a successful 42-week, £8 million refit at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard in Fife.
The work was carried out on the Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV) by about 50 Babcock International employees plus specialist sub-contractors.
The Rosyth team upgraded the ship’s sonar and communications systems, overhauled her propulsion systems and generators, and improved her fresh water tanks.
She can operate in deep and exposed waters, using clearance divers or a SeaFox remote-controlled underwater vehicle to deal with hazards at depths of up to 200 metres.
After a refit that was on time and within budget, HMS Pembroke completed sea acceptance trials off the Scottish and Norwegian coasts a day ahead of schedule.
She will now re-join her six sister ships as part of the Faslane Flotilla at Scotland’s largest military establishment, HM Naval Base Clyde.
Two of the Faslane ships are permanently based in the Gulf and Indian Ocean, where they work with local militaries to promote peace and stability in the region and support the international effort to ensure the safe transit of oil and other goods.
Nick Fernandes, Team Leader, Defence Equipment & Support, said: “This is a great achievement for Defence Equipment & Support, Babcock and HMS Pembroke’s own crew, whose project management skills and collaborative working demonstrates once again our commitment to continuous improvement.”
Rosyth dockyard has developed a specialism in refitting Royal Navy MCMVs and patrol vessels. Prior to the work on HMS Pembroke, HMS Penzance underwent a successful 10-month refit.
Of all the £1.69 billion that Defence procurement spends with Scottish businesses each year, approximately one billion is invested in ship building and maintenance, including submarines, supporting 5,500 jobs in the Scottish private sector.
Defence Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “The HMS Pembroke refit is another example of the impressive engineering skills of our Scottish dockyards.
“The upgraded vessel will return to carrying out the vital work of finding and destroying underwater threats and keeping shipping lanes safe. I wish HMS Pembroke and her crew well on their next tasking.”
image © Crown Copyright
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