HMS Stirling Castle, a specialist mine-hunting vessel, made its maiden voyage as a Royal Navy ship, leaving the Merseyside’s West Float, Birkenhead for sea trials and training.
The vessel was officially commissioned into the Royal Navy in July, after being under Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) control since 2023.
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Since then, the ship’s 55-strong crew, alongside RFA personnel, have been conducting essential maintenance, safety checks and training, to ensure its readiness for operations.
Commanding officer, Commander Phillip Harper said: “Taking Stirling Castle out of lay-up and getting her back into service in just four months has demanded extraordinary things from my team.
“Fortunately, the Royal Navy is blessed with incredible people at every level, and it is their dedication, work ethic and comradeship that has got us to this point and allows Stirling Castle to join the Fleet under the White Ensign.”
HMS Stirling Castle, operating out of His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth, is the first mine countermeasures mother ship procured to serve as a mobile platform for autonomous technology, replacing traditional mine-hunting methods.
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By GlobalDataThe vessel can store, prepare, deploy, and recover autonomous boats and underwater systems essential for mine warfare.
Later in 2025, the vessel will undergo operational sea training in anticipation of front-line duties.
These duties primarily involve carrying advanced technology equipment for specialist mine-hunting operations, mainly within UK waters.
HMS Stirling Castle will operate as a ‘mother ship’ for multiple remote and autonomous systems that are designed to locate underwater mines.
Originally known as the offshore support vessel MV Island Crown, it was bought by the UK Ministry of Defence in 2023 and converted at HM Naval Base Devonport to serve as a dedicated support unit for mine hunting.
During its tenure with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary over 18 months, it proved its worth to mine hunting operators by keeping them abreast of evolving threats from naval mines.
Looking ahead, HMS Stirling Castle will continue to work closely with other Royal Navy mine-hunting warships, particularly the Mine & Threat Exploitation Group.
