Archer-class patrol vessel
HMS Raider, 2009
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Class overview | |
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Name | Archer class |
Builders |
|
Operators | |
Succeeded by | Scimitar class; Cutlass class |
In commission | 1985–present |
Active | 17 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Patrol boat & training vessel |
Displacement | 54 t (53 long tons) |
Length | 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in) |
Beam | 5.8 m (19 ft 0 in) |
Draught | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
Propulsion | 2 shafts, Cat C18 ACERT diesels |
Speed |
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Range | 550 nmi (1,020 km; 630 mi) |
Complement |
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Sensors and processing systems | Decca 1216 navigation radar |
Armament |
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The Archer class (or P2000) is a
Development
Ten vessels were ordered as the P2000 class, based on a design of an
The Archers were initially used as Royal Navy patrol craft and as training tenders for the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and University Royal Naval Units (URNU). Four identical vessels were ordered for the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service (RNXS) as Example-class tenders. When that service was disbanded in 1994, the Examples were transferred to the Royal Navy for similar duties as their Archer-class brethren (under the same names under which they served as "XSVs", all of which begin with the first syllable "Ex"). Until 2005, the four Examples were painted with a black hull.
In 1998 two additional vessels (
In 2012 Dasher and Pursuer were replaced by Raider and Tracker - these can be identified by a number of pintle-mounted
The NATO designation of a P2000 is "PBR", denoting a "patrol boat - riverine and harbours"[citation needed].
Vessels in the class
Royal Oman Police | |||||
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Name | Pennant number | Builder | Commissioned | Attached to | Status |
Dheeb Al Bahari | Watercraft Marine, Shoreham-by-Sea | 1985 | Police Coastguard Command | In active service | |
Royal Navy | |||||
Name | Pennant number | Builder | Commissioned | Attached to | Status |
Archer | P264 | Watercraft Marine | 1985 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Biter | P270 | Watercraft Marine | 1986 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Smiter | P272 | Watercraft Marine | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Pursuer | P273 | Woolston
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1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron[5] | In active service |
Blazer | P279 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Dasher | P280 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron[5] | In active service |
Puncher | P291 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Charger | P292 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Ranger | P293 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Trumpeter | P294 | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Example (ex-XSV Example) | P165 (ex-A153) | Watercraft Marine | 1985 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Explorer (ex-XSV Explorer) | P164 (ex-A154) | Watercraft Marine | 1986 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Express (ex-XSV Express) | P163 (ex-A163) | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Exploit (ex-XSV Exploit) | P167 (ex-A167) | Vosper Thornycroft | 1988 | Coastal Forces Squadron | In active service |
Tracker | P274 | Ailsa Shipbuilding Company, Troon | 1998 | Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron | In active service |
Raider | P275 | Ailsa Shipbuilding Company | 1998 | Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron | In active service |
See also
- Harbour defence motor launch - World War II equivalent
- CB90-class fast assault craft
- Patrol Craft Fast - the "Swift Boats"
Notes
References
- midshipmensleep in the gun-room. Traditionally this is where midshipmen have always been berthed but in the Archer class it is literally true as they sleep in the magazine of the Archer class. Since such trips only occur in times of peace, the gun which an Archer class vessel is capable of carrying is not fitted and so there is no other use for the magazine.
- ^ "Patrol Boats – Archer class". Royal Navy. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "Archer Class P2000 (URNU)". Armed Forces.net. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ "Coastal Forces Squadron" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.com. Whatdotheyknow.com. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
I can confirm that Ministerial approval for the change in name from 1st Patrol Boat Squadron to Coastal Forces Squadron was given on 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron bid farewell to HMS Dasher & HMS Pursuer". gbc.gi. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
Bibliography
- Beaver, Paul (1996). Britain's Modern Royal Navy. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-442-5.
- Flack, Jeremy (1996). Today's Royal Navy in Colour. Greenwich Editions. ISBN 0-86288-089-0.
External links
- "Patrol Boats - Archer class". Royal Navy.