HMC ''Protector'' is a Border Force (customs) cutter of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, formerly the ''Tavi'' of the Finnish Border Guard. She was built by

Uki Workboat Uki Workboat Oy (Finnish language, Finnish: Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy) is a Finland, Finnish shipyard located in Uusikaupunki on the Western coast of Finland. The company specializes in small and medium-sized vessels for professional use, ranging ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and was acquired by the UK Border Force in 2013. After a period of refit, the vessel was commissioned by the then Home Secretary

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

on 17 March 2014. ''Protector'' replaced HMC ''Sentinel'', which was retired in 2013.

Construction

HMC ''Protector'' is the only vessel of the ''Telkkä''-class operating in the UK Border Force's fleet and works alongside four customs patrol vessels. ''Protector'' was built in 2002 by Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy at Uusikaupunki,

and named ''Tavi'', originally serving with the Finnish Border Guard. The design includes an ice-class steel hull and an aluminium superstructure. After service with the Finnish Border Guard from 2002 to 2013, ''Tavi'' was sold to the UK Border Force. Following a period of refit, the vessel was renamed ''Protector'' and entered service on 17 March 2014 with a commissioning ceremony in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The home port of the ''Protector'' is

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

Propulsion

''Protector'' is fitted with twin Wärtsilä 12V200 engines driving twin propellers through a pair of reduction gearboxes. The total installed power of gives ''Protector'' a top speed of . A single bow thruster is fitted for slow speed manoeuvring in confined spaces.

Operational history

From April to October 2015, HMC ''Protector'' was located in the Mediterranean as part of

Operation Triton Operation Triton was an operation conducted by Frontex, the European Union's border security agency. The operation, under Italian control, began on 1 November 2014 and ended on 1 February 2018 when it was replaced by Operation Themis. It involve ...

alongside HMC ''Seeker''. The two ships were responsible for rescuing 1,650 refugees and apprehended 26 people traffickers. Both vessels operated alongside the

Italian Armed Forces The Italian Armed Forces ( it, Forze armate italiane, ) encompass the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force. A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and ar ...

and had a small contingent of

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

aboard. On August 28, 2019 she was involved in the seizure of approximately 750 kg of 80% purity cocaine off the coast of Pembrokeshire. The vessel was then landed in Fishguard harbour.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Protector Ships built in Finland Ships of the United Kingdom 2002 ships Customs cutters of the United Kingdom