HMS ''Blazer'' is an 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 ...

. She was built by Vosper Thornycroft. She is long and wide and powered by two Rolls-Royce diesel engines. The ship is based at HMS ''Nelson'', the shore base in

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 ...

and was commissioned in 1988. ''Blazer'' carries a crew of four, plus a commanding officer. A training officer accompanies up to 10 students when ''Blazer'' is operating in its URNU capacity. The ship is affiliated to both the

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

University Royal Naval Unit (SURNU) and

University Royal Naval Unit. Tasking includes: officer cadet training with Britannia Royal Naval College; VVIP visits and security patrols. On 29 March 1993 ''Blazer'' was involved in a fishing incident with French trawlers at the port of

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. According to witnesses,Daily report. West Europe, 1–15. United States. Foreign Broadcast Information Service, p. 27. ''Blazer'' was seized by French fisherman while manoeuvring outside the port and sailed to Cherbourg harbour. Her crew of 16 were forced to remain below the deck for three hours, while the ship's White Ensign was burned. French authorities subsequently put an end to the situation and forcibly expelled the fishermen from ''Blazer'' and placed them under arrest. The

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, meanwhile, dispatched the patrol boat ''Coriander'' to Cherbourg to restore order.

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blazer (P279) Archer-class patrol vessels