HMS ''Atherstone'' was a of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, the third ship to bear the name. Built by

Vosper Thornycroft VTG (formerly VT Group) is a privately held United States defense and services company, with its origins in a former British shipbuilding group, previously known as Vosper Thornycroft. The British part of VTG was integrated into Babcock Interna ...

shipbuilders at

Woolston, Southampton Woolston is a suburb of Southampton, located on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston. The area has a strong maritime and aviation history. The former hamlet gr ...

, it was launched on 1 March 1986 by Amy Jarvis, the wife of Pat Jarvis, CB, the Deputy Controller of the Navy at the Ministry of Defence, and commissioned on 17 January 1987. It was the tenth ship of its class.

Operational history

HMS ''Atherstone'' was accepted into service on 28 November 1986 and commissioned at

HMNB Portsmouth His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is loc ...

on 17 January 1987. The ship had a close association with the town of

Atherstone Atherstone is a market town and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. Located in the far north of the county, Atherstone is on the A5 national route, and is adjacent to the border with Leicestershire which ...

, and was latterly part of the 2nd Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Squadron based at Portsmouth. In December 2015, ''Atherstone'' returned from the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

after a two-year deployment as part of

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, in support of coalition operations to promote and maintain peace in the Persian Gulf. It helped to provide assurance to merchant shipping, by conducting mine-countermeasure surveys in the main shipping routes throughout the region. It participated in 2014 IMCMEX. After spending a period alongside in extended readiness, ''Atherstone'' was lifted out of the water into the "Minor War Vessels Centre of Specialisation"; the former shipbuilding hall at

in December 2016 in readiness to enter refit However, in October 2017 it was revealed that the planned refit would not take place and ''Atherstone'' would be decommissioned on 14 December 2017. On 3 June 2020, the stripped down ''Atherstone'' was advertised for sale. It was sold in June 2022 to

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

with the intention of utilising parts in the refurbishment of HMS ''Quorn'' for the Lithuanian Navy, and then rebuilding it for non-military use.News in Brief ''

Ships Monthly Kelsey Media Ltd is a magazine publisher and trade fair company based in Yalding, England. Founded in 1989, it has bought and sold many publications over the years, including former Bauer Media Group magazines ''Sea Angler'', ''Car Mechanics'' ...

'' August 2022 page 14

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atherstone (M38) Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessels 1986 ships Ships built in Southampton