HMS ''Blazer'' is an 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 ...

. She was built by Vosper Thornycroft. She is long and wide and powered by two Rolls-Royce diesel engines. The ship is based at HMNB Devonport, the shore base in Plymouth and was commissioned in 1988. ''Blazer'' carries a crew of four, plus a commanding officer. A training officer accompanies up to 10 students when ''Blazer'' is operating in its URNU capacity. The ship is affiliated to both the

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

University Royal Naval Unit The University Royal Naval Units (URNU) ( , less commonly ) (formerly Universities' Royal Naval Units) are Royal Navy training establishments under the command of Britannia Royal Naval College, who recruit Officer Cadets from a university or a ...

(SURNU) and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. Tasking includes: officer cadet training with Britannia Royal Naval College; VVIP visits and security patrols. On 29 March 1993 ''Blazer'' was involved in a fishing incident with French trawlers at the port of

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

. According to witnesses,Daily report. West Europe, 1–15. United States.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service The Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) was an open source intelligence component of the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Science and Technology. It monitored, translated, and disseminated within the U.S. government openl ...

, p. 27. ''Blazer'' was seized by French fisherman while manoeuvring outside the port and sailed to Cherbourg harbour. Her crew of 16 were forced to remain below the deck for three hours, while the ship's

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign because of the simultaneous existence of a crossless version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cr ...

was burned. French authorities subsequently put an end to the situation and forcibly expelled the fishermen from ''Blazer'' and placed them under arrest. The

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

, meanwhile, dispatched the patrol boat ''Coriander'' to Cherbourg to restore order. In the early 2020s, ''Blazer'', along with other ''Archer''-class vessels, was given a more operational role as part of the reconstituted Coastal Forces Squadron. In early 2024, ''Blazer'' and three of her sister ships deployed to northern Norway as part of the NATO exercise "Steadfast Defender".

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blazer (P279) Archer-class patrol vessels