Captain of Britain's newest patrol ship says the Royal Navy has 'saved the best until last'

HMS Spey, the last in a batch of five new patrol ships, is nearing the end of her build on the River Clyde in Scotland and five members of the ship’s company are now living on board.

This is a significant milestone for Spey who, when she officially becomes part of the fleet, will join her sister patrol vessels Trent, Tamar, Medway and Forth.

More sailors will join in early September before the ship begins preparations for her delivery voyage to her home port of Portsmouth.

The news comes just days after HMS Trent was commissioned in the city and sent off on her first operational mission just hours later, heading to the Mediterranean to tackle criminal gangs and terrorists.

Lieutenant Commander Ben Evans, HMS Spey’s captain, said: ‘Even though we are in the midst of a virus pandemic I have been really impressed with how the teams from Defence Equipment and Support and BAE Systems have safely and tirelessly worked to get to this point.

‘It is an exciting challenge to bring HMS Spey out of build and I look forward to being joined by more of my ship's company to bring the newest ship in the Royal Navy into service.

‘We will make sure the best has been saved for last.’

Gareth Morris, Defence Equipment and Support offshore patrol vessel project manager added: ‘Our team is proud to be supporting HMS Spey through the final build stages ahead of her homeward sailing.

‘We will continue working closely with our supplier to ensure the Royal Navy receives the world-beating equipment it needs.’

The second batch of patrol ships are part of the navy’s forward presence programme which will see vessels forward-deployed on operations around the globe.

SEE ALSO: Teen, 14, gets stuck in swing trying to film TikTok video

Crews will remain stationed overseas for years at a time while members of the crew work in rotation to staff them.

Each of the new patrol ships are larger and more powerful than their predecessors.

They can accommodate 50 embarked Royal Marines of special forces soldiers and have a flight deck large enough to operate Wildcat and Merlin helicopters.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

Thank you for reading this story. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on our advertisers and thus our revenues.

The News is more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to Portsmouth news and information online.

Every subscription helps us continue providing trusted, local journalism and campaign on your behalf for our city.