"Very effective" Royal Navy Vahana workboat taken apart by Gosport engineers as DSB 05 Volcano in refit
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Talented engineers are overseeing some of the “very effective” workboats which are vital to Royal Navy operations.
Employees at UK Docks in Gosport have been maintaining the Vahana vessels. Striking pictures show DSB 05 Volcano - a vessel integral for mine clearance operations - going through her annual refit.
Ben Mason, business development director at UK Docks, said: "We currently support all the Vahana workboats from the UK Docks' facility at Victoria Quay, in Gosport, managing the in-service support activities so the vessels can meet their operational requirements. They're very effective vessels, designed to be multi-role by swapping out the superstructure and altering the configuration and are highly flexible to meet the various needs of the Royal Navy end user.”
The dive unit’s operational compartment was completely removed so the vessel’s air bottles could be removed and sent away to specialists for examination. They are certified for five-year periods. Engineers have to carefully inch the module into position to avoid damaging the inner workings of the vessel.
DSB 05 Volcano is heavily used by the Royal Navy’s Mine Threat and Exploitation Group (MTXG) at HMS Excellent on Whale Island. It’s used for diving operations, autonomous system trials, and supporting mine-hunting efforts. Many other Vahana boats are also used to train the Royal Navy’s next generation of officers. A total of 35 vessels were built.
Mr Mason added: “UK Docks undertakes all service and maintenance work, modifications, upgrades, and all repair work, so, effectively, we're a one-stop shop for all the vessels' requirements. We also have trained coxswains who conduct vessel Sea Trials and deliver and collect vessels as required.
“Locally, there are four of these workboats in Portsmouth and two from Poole, while other vessels are located in Plymouth, and Dartmouth, which are managed by UKDOCKS Mashfords situated in Cremyll. We also manage vessels which are in Scotland and Gibraltar, so it's a sizeable amount of work, but the team are very proud to work on them and relish the challenge of maintaining the highest of standards, which the Royal Navy demands.”