HMS ''Magpie'' is a

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

of the

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 ...

, intended for use on inshore and coastal survey work. ''Magpie'' replaced . She was accepted by the RN in May 2018 and commissioned on 28 June 2018.

History

In August 2017, the replacement for HMS ''Gleaner'', the Royal Navy's existing inshore survey launch, was announced to be one of a total of 38 multi-role workboats of various sizes being constructed to undertake various duties. The main structure of the vessel was constructed by Safehaven Marine, a boatbuilding company based in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

. In February 2018, it was announced that the ship would be named HMS ''Magpie''. The type selected for the inshore survey vessel was based on Safehaven's ''Wildcat 60''

catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...

design, the largest available at 18m in length, and with a displacement of 37 tonnes. ''Magpie'' was built to accommodate a crew of 12 for up to seven days, with the capability of operating in all weathers. Following completion and initial trials by Safehaven Marine, ''Magpie'' was subsequently delivered to Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK) for installation of its mission equipment. In April 2018, ''Magpie'' underwent further trials with its mission equipment installed, before final delivery of the vessel to the Royal Navy in May 2018 for commissioning in early summer. ''Magpie'' was procured under "Project Vahana", a program to replace various Royal Navy vessels under 20 metres in length. The boats are known as the ''Sea''-class, and ''Magpie'' at 18 metres in length, is the largest and only commissioned vessel in the series. As ''Magpie'' is considerably larger than the vessel she replaces, the title of smallest commissioned vessel in the Royal Navy, which had belonged to ''Gleaner'', initially passed to the two s and then to the Navy's new ''Cutlass''-class fast patrol boats. ''Magpie'' is a significant improvement over ''Gleaner'', both in terms of equipment – she features better on-board equipment than ''Gleaner'', but also designed for operating UUVs – and endurance. One of ''Magpie's'' first major taskings was a continuation of work done by her predecessor ''Gleaner'' in surveying Portsmouth Harbour to ensure the stability of the seabed in anticipation of Portsmouth's use by the aircraft carriers and . Once the work in Portsmouth harbour is complete, Magpie was tasked to survey the wreck site of the ''

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' (launched 1511) is a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She served for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her l ...

'',

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

s flagship, to search for anything of significance. Work will then focused on investigating the wreck of a French galley which was lost off the north-east coast of the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

around the same time as the

References

External links

HMS ''Magpie'' official website
2018 ships Survey vessels of the Royal Navy {{UK-mil-ship-stub