The Sandown-class warships, HMS Grimsby and HMS Shoreham, were decommissioned from the Royal Navy to be transferred to the Ukrainian military, where they will operate under the names Chernihiv and Cherkasy.
The ships, which each served more than 20 years in the Royal Navy, arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base having sailed from Scotland.
They will remain based in Portsmouth while crew members undergo training to prepare them to hunt for mines in the Black Sea.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: “The ships are currently not able to enter the Black Sea due to the terms of the Montreux Convention, which restricts passage of military vessels through the Bosporus Strait at times of war.
“However, they will form a critical capability for Ukraine in its future defence of its coastlines as the UK looks to support the longer-term capabilities of the Ukrainian navy, while they look to protect commercial shipping by detecting and disabling sea mines.”
Eduard Fesko, the charge d’affaires of Ukraine, said that the minehunters would be essential in reopening trade routes once the war is over.
He added: “They will continue the training here, from this base, and given that the minesweepers will be very, very important in the post-war period in cleaning up the Black Sea, I think it’s very important that we have these ships here.
“Once the war is over and the Black Sea will start to be cleaned up, it will be not only the undertaking of Ukraine, I’m sure other countries will also participate in these efforts but there will be none that will be more interested in making sure that the trade routes are safe as Ukraine because trade is the bloodline for our economy at the moment.”
are they going to deliver them by way of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal?
if they draw < 13′ and are < 38′ wide they would fit.
They look pretty…useless?
*Do you see torpedo boats?*
The US also has a fleet of mothballed, but perfectly useable ships they could supply Ukraine with. Spruance destroyers, and the like.
Man, the balls on these guys. The last place I would want to serve in a war is on a ship where active naval warfare is occurring. Nightmare stuff there.
One of the best uses of glass reinforced plastics I can think of – right up there with sailboats. Godspeed to HMS Shoreham (Cherkasy) and HMS Grimsby (Chernihiv) under their Ukrainian names and flag.
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**From The Telegraph’s Political Reporter:**
Two former [Royal Navy](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/11/royal-navy-recruits-no-longer-need-to-prove-they-can-swim/) minehunter ships handed over to the Ukrainian navy have arrived in Portsmouth as the crews undergo training to prepare them for [missions in the Black Sea](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/russia-ukraine-war/).
The Sandown-class warships, HMS Grimsby and HMS Shoreham, were decommissioned from the Royal Navy to be transferred to the Ukrainian military, where they will operate under the names Chernihiv and Cherkasy.
The ships, which each served more than 20 years in the Royal Navy, arrived at Portsmouth Naval Base having sailed from Scotland.
They will remain based in Portsmouth while crew members undergo training to prepare them to hunt for mines in the Black Sea.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said: “The ships are currently not able to enter the Black Sea due to the terms of the Montreux Convention, which restricts passage of military vessels through the Bosporus Strait at times of war.
“However, they will form a critical capability for Ukraine in its future defence of its coastlines as the UK looks to support the longer-term capabilities of the Ukrainian navy, while they look to protect commercial shipping by detecting and disabling sea mines.”
Eduard Fesko, the charge d’affaires of Ukraine, said that the minehunters would be essential in reopening trade routes once the war is over.
He added: “They will continue the training here, from this base, and given that the minesweepers will be very, very important in the post-war period in cleaning up the Black Sea, I think it’s very important that we have these ships here.
“Once the war is over and the Black Sea will start to be cleaned up, it will be not only the undertaking of Ukraine, I’m sure other countries will also participate in these efforts but there will be none that will be more interested in making sure that the trade routes are safe as Ukraine because trade is the bloodline for our economy at the moment.”
**Continue reading ⬇️**
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/12/ex-royal-navy-minehunter-ships-arrive-in-portsmouth/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/12/ex-royal-navy-minehunter-ships-arrive-in-portsmouth/)
are they going to deliver them by way of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal?
if they draw < 13′ and are < 38′ wide they would fit.
They look pretty…useless?
*Do you see torpedo boats?*
The US also has a fleet of mothballed, but perfectly useable ships they could supply Ukraine with. Spruance destroyers, and the like.
Man, the balls on these guys. The last place I would want to serve in a war is on a ship where active naval warfare is occurring. Nightmare stuff there.
One of the best uses of glass reinforced plastics I can think of – right up there with sailboats. Godspeed to HMS Shoreham (Cherkasy) and HMS Grimsby (Chernihiv) under their Ukrainian names and flag.