HMC ''Searcher'' is one of four

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter, aka Stanley knife, a form of utility knife * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Side cutter * Cutter, a type of hydraulic rescue to ...

ships operated by UK Border Force in the role of patrolling the waters of the United Kingdom. She was launched by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands in 2002.

History

HMC ''Searcher'' entered service in 2002 with what was then HM Customs and Excise (HMCE). HMCE merged with the Inland Revenue in 2005, and the cutter fleet became part of the newly founded HM Revenue and Customs. In 2008, the fleet transferred to the

UK Border Agency The UK Border Agency (UKBA) was the border control agency of the Government of the United Kingdom and part of the Home Office that was superseded by UK Visas and Immigration, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement in April 2013. It was forme ...

, which was established to maintain the UK border. She now operates as part of the UK Border Force fleet of five cutters.

Prefix

From the merger of the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise into HM Revenue and Customs on 18 April 2005, customs cutters changed their prefix from "HMRC" (Her Majesty's Revenue Cutter) to "HMCC" (Her Majesty's Customs Cutter). Following the transfer to the UK Border Agency this was shortened to the present "HMC" (Her Majesty's Cutter) and a new livery was applied to the fleet.

Construction

HMC ''Searcher'' is the third of the Customs and Excise's fleet of customs patrol vessels. She was built in 2002 in the Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands, and has a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure. Her Rigid Inflatable Boat is launched and recovered from her stern slipway.

Propulsion

She is fitted with twin Caterpillar diesel engines, with a top speed of .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Searcher Ships built in the Netherlands Ships of the United Kingdom 2002 ships Customs cutters of the United Kingdom United Kingdom border control