The British Royal Navy’s offshore patrol ship (OPV), HMS Severn, has successfully concluded a three-week Operational Sea Training (OST) assessment.

The successful OST completion has returned the vessel to operational readiness status.

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The OPV was trained and assessed to escort passing foreign warships, conduct fishing vessel inspections, and defend the UK border, joining its sister ships HMS Mersey and Tyne with these capabilities.

In October 2017, the Royal Navy’s Batch 1 River-class HMS Severn was decommissioned at a ceremony in HM Naval Base Portsmouth following 14 years of service.

HMS Severn’s planned service life had concluded after being commissioned into the fleet in 2003.

However, the UK Secretary of State announced the return of HMS Severn to the Fleet in November 2018.

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Royal Navy commanding officer commander Philip Harper said: “We have regenerated Severn and successfully completed three weeks of basic operational sea training.

“This is the first time in living memory that the Royal Navy has re-commissioned a ship, and it’s been a challenge. We’ve achieved all of this during a global pandemic.”

HMS Severn will train Royal Navy navigators joining the ship for testing pilotage off the west coast of Scotland and the English Channel.

In April this year, the vessel returned to sea. Since then, it has logged around 5,000 miles with its crew from the Royal Naval Reserve.

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