HMS Brocklesby M33 & a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter carry out exercises on the River Clyde.
HMS Brocklesby is a Mine Counter Measures Vessel and has the ability to conduct both minesweeping and minehunting operations.
The hull and most of the superstructure are constructed from GRP that is both non-magnetic and strong enough to withstand the explosive shocks likely to be encountered in a mine environment.
The primary reason for having a GRP hull is to reduce to a minimum the ship's magnetic signature. The ship's noise signature has also been reduced to a minimum by tuning and matching all the main machinery and by taking great care with all resilient mountings.
The Hunt Class are the largest warships ever constructed out of Glass Reinforced Plastic. Permanently fitted for the dual action functions of 'Sweeping' and 'Hunting' in one hull. They function as 'Minesweepers' in two ways. Destroying buoyant mines by sweeping them by cutting the mooring wires with a towed wire sweep and then blowing up the buoyant case on the surface. Dealing with ground mines (Bombs that sit on the sea bed listening for ship's noise and magnetic signatures) by using influence sweeps which simulate noise and magnetic signature. As Minehunters they 'hunt' for mines with a high definition sonar and then destroy them using explosives placed either by the Mine Clearance Divers or by the Remote Controlled Mine Disposal System Vehicles.
In addition, the 1 x 30mm, 2 x 20mm guns and two General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) enable them to function in a Secondary Role as very potent Patrol Craft. The Hunt class are often found supporting the Fishery Protection Squadron around UK waters.
Hunt Class MCMV Statistics:
Displacement: 750 tonnes
Length: 60 metres
Beam: 10.5 metres
Draught: 2.2 metres
Speed: 15 knots
Complement: 45
Armament: 1 x 30mm gun 2 x BMarc 20mm guns 2 x General Purpose Machine Guns
Sonar: Type 193M mine hunting sonar Mil cross avoidance sonar Type 2059 Pap submersible tracking sonar
Sensors: Type 1007 I band
Countermeasures: RCMDS (Remote Control Mine Disposal System) Mk1 with 2 x pap Pap 104 Mk 5 remotely controlled submersibles Combined Influence Sweep - consisting of Acoustic sweep (Mk3 Towed Acoustic Generator) Magnetic sweep Mechanical sweep - Mk 8 conventional Oropesa sweeps with armed capability. SCARAB remote control floating mine towing device - this helps the safe destruction of moored mines that have been cut from their chains.
Propulsion: 2 x Ruston-Paxman deltic 9-58K diesels developing 1900hp 1 Deltic 9-59 diesel for pulse generation and auxiliary drive. 2 shafts + bow thruster. (
www.royal-navy.mod.uk)
The hull and most of the superstructure are constructed from GRP that is both non-magnetic and strong enough to withstand the explosive shocks likely to be encountered in a mine environment.
