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HMS Magpie H130, Royal Navy

HMS Magpie H130 moored at Lowestoft, Suffolk.

 

Name: HMS Magpie

Vessel type: Survey vessel

Class: Wildcat 60 catamaran

Home port: HMNB Devonport

Flag: United Kingdom

Pennant number: H130

Motto: Lux in Tenebris Lucet - 'Shine Light into Darkness'

MMSI: 232015144

Call Sign:

Accommodation: up to 9 crew

Cabins: 2

Work stations: 6

Length overall: 18 m

Beam: 6.2 m

Draught: 1.4 m

Displacement: 36.41 ton

Engines: 2 x Yanmar 6AYM, 20.3 litre diesels

Engine output: 2 x 900 hp (671 kW)

Waterjets: 2 x Hamilton HM521

Speed: 23 knots

Builder - hull: Safehaven Marine, Foxhole, Youghal, Co Cork, Ireland,

Builder - fitting out: Atlas Elektronik UK (AEUK), Portland Harbour, Dorset

Ordered: 18th August 2017

Laid down: September 2017

Launched: March 2018

Delivered: May 2018

Commissioned: 28th. June 2018

 

HMS Magpie is the 9th. Royal Navy vessel to carry the name. She was named in recognition of the Duke of Edinburgh’s command of her namesake in the early 1950's, and the Duke personally endorsed Magpie’s motto, Lux in tenebris lucet 'shine light into darkness' shortly before his passing. She is a survey vessel of the RN’s Hydrographic Squadron intended for use on inshore and coastal survey work. Magpie replaced HMS Gleaner.

In August 2017, the replacement for HMS Gleaner was announced. The type selected was based on Safehaven's Wildcat 60 catamaran design.

As Magpie is considerably larger than the vessel she replaces, the title of smallest commissioned vessel in the Royal Navy, which had belonged to Gleaner, passed to the two Scimitar-class patrol vessels, HMS Scimitar, P284 and HMS Sabre, P285. Magpie will be a significant improvement over her predecessor, both in terms of equipment, not only will she feature better on-board equipment than Gleaner, but will also have the capability of launching and recovering UUV's (unmanned underwater vehicles) and she will have a better endurance.

One of Magpie's first major taskings was a continuation of work done by Gleaner in surveying Portsmouth Harbour to ensure the stability of the seabed in anticipation of Portsmouth's use by the aircraft carriers Queen Elizabeth R08 and Prince of Wales R09.

Once the work in Portsmouth harbour was completed, Magpie headed to the wreck site of the Mary Rose, Henry VIII's flagship, to survey the sea floor for anything of significance. Work then begin on investigating the wreck of a French galley which was lost off the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight around the same time as the Mary Rose.

Magpie’s 2022 deployment, under her commanding officer Lt. Cdr. Hywel Morgan, is her most extensive yet and will include prolonged operations in the north-east of England, and both east and west coasts of Scotland. She will depart Devonport in early March and is unlikely to return until completion of her deployment in October.

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Uploaded on March 6, 2022
Taken on March 6, 2022