RFA Stirling Castle
Mine Countermeasures Maritime Autonomous Systems ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RFA Stirling Castle is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at HMNB Devonport for modification into a trials platform for autonomous minehunting systems that are to operate from a larger mother ship. The ship was formerly named MV Island Crown, and used as an offshore supply vessel operated by Island Offshore.[8] The vessel was sold to the Ministry of Defence in January 2023 for £40 million.[8]
Stirling Castle alongside at Oslo with its previous name Island Crown in 2013 | |
History | |
---|---|
Name | Island Crown |
Owner | Island Offshore |
Port of registry | |
Builder | Vard Brăila, Romania[1] |
Yard number | 784 |
Launched | March 2013[1] |
Fate | Sold to UK Ministry of Defence, 14 February 2023 |
United Kingdom | |
Name | Stirling Castle |
Namesake | Stirling Castle in Scotland |
Acquired | 14 February 2023 |
In service | 11 April 2024 |
Homeport | HMNB Clyde[2] |
Identification |
|
Status | In active service |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | VARD UT 776 CD[5] |
Type | Mine Countermeasures Maritime Autonomous Systems (MCM MAS) |
Tonnage | |
Displacement | 6,000 tonnes[1] |
Length | 96.8 m (317 ft 7 in)[1] |
Beam | 20.0 m (65 ft 7 in)[1] |
Draught | 6.0 m (19 ft 8 in)[1] |
Propulsion |
|
Complement | 100[7] |
Aviation facilities | Helipad |
Stirling Castle is one of two new commercial vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, the other being RFA Proteus, a multi-role ocean surveillance ship to protect seabed infrastructure and communications.[9] From the mid-2020s, up to three additional ships performing the role of mine countermeasures command and support vessel are also planned for acquisition.[10] These vessels will fill a gap left as a result of the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sandown-class minehunters, all of which are scheduled to leave service by 2025.[11]