Two Sandown-class minehunters retire as UK starts manned MCM rundown

Two Sandown-class minehunters have been retired from the UK Royal Navy (RN) ahead of transfer to the Ukrainian Navy.

The Sandown-class minehunters HMS Blyth (pictured) and HMS Ramsey were decommissioned on 4 August, leaving four remaining in Royal Navy service. The two vessels will be transferred to Ukraine following a refit at Babcock's shipyard in Rosyth. (Michael Nitz)

HMS Blyth and HMS Ramsey were formally decommissioned at Rosyth on 4 August. Their withdrawal – which reduces the number of Sandown-class vessels in RN service to four – marks the start of the phased rundown of the RN's manned mine-countermeasures (MCM) fleet through to 2030.

Under plans set out in the Defence Command Paper ‘Defence in a competitive age', released in March, the RN will transition to a new Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) based on maritime autonomous systems. A first MHC increment, known as Project Wilton, is already operational on the Clyde.

Built by Vosper Thornycroft at Woolston, Southampton, Ramsey and Blyth were commissioned in September 2000 and February 2001 respectively. The two vessels will now undergo refits at Babcock's Rosyth facility before transfer to Ukraine.

Blyth and Ramsey are the latest ships to retire as a result of force-level reductions outlined in the UK's Defence Command Paper. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary solid stores ships RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie , laid up at Birkenhead, were officially withdrawn on 31 March, while the Type 23 frigate HMS Monmouth , already laid up at Devonport, was formally decommissioned on 30 June.