HMS Shoreham Leading a Convoy in the Middle East MOD 45154418

HMS ''Shoreham'' was a of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. She was the fifth vessel to bear the name. From 2018 to 2021, ''Shoreham'' was deployed at UKNSF Bahrain together with three other mine countermeasures ships as part of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron on

Operation Kipion Operation Kipion is a long-standing maritime presence by the United Kingdom in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean to promote enduring peace and stability in the region, and ensure the safe flow of oil and trade. A permanent presence of 4 minesw ...

. In 2022 she was decommissioned and is to be transferred to Ukraine.

Operational history

2001–2010

''Shoreham'' was accepted into service on 28 November 2001 and commissioned in a ceremony in her namesake port on 20 July 2002.

2011–present

In 2012, ''Shoreham'' deployed to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

to join the 9th Mine Countermeasures squadron based in

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

. She returned to Faslane on 28 August 2015 after three years away. ''Shoreham'' entered refit in

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

in 2016 for repair work to her hull. Other work carried out included installing a new galley, fitting a new fire detection system and improving the high-pressure air system. She was handed back to the Royal Navy in January 2017. In spring 2017, ''Shoreham'' deployed with NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), operating around Northern Europe. During the course of this deployment ''Shoreham'', the last of the ''Sandown'' class to be built, took part in

naval exercises A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

with the former , now operated by the

Estonian Navy The Estonian Navy ( et, Merevägi) are the unified naval forces among the Estonian Defence Forces. With only six commissioned ships and displacement well under 10,000 tonnes, the Estonian navy is one of the smallest navies in the world. Its sh ...

as ''Admiral Cowan''. From 2018 to 2021, ''Shoreham'' served with 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron operating from in the Persian Gulf. In August 2021, ''Shoreham'' returned to the U.K having been relieved by her sister ship . In May 2022, ''Shoreham'' embarked on a final short tour of the UK ahead of her planned decommissioning including a final visit to her namesake port during which 1,500 members of the public toured the ship. In September 2022, she was spotted operating around Firth of Forth carrying the name "Черкаси" ( uk, Cherkasy) and the pennant number M311. Though still reportedly in commission with the Royal Navy, she was now training sailors of the

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Ar ...

prior to her planned handover to that Navy. In October 2022 it was reported that she had been decommissioned.

References

External links

* Sandown-class minehunters Ships built in Southampton 2001 ships Minehunters of the United Kingdom {{UK-minesweeper-stub