HMS ''Charger'' is an built by Watercraft Limited,

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...

and fitted out at Vosper Thornycroft. She is just over 20 metres long and 5.8 metres wide and powered by two Rolls-Royce turbo engines. The ship is based at , the Royal Naval Headquarters in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and was commissioned in 1988. She has five full-time RN crew, and sails with an RNR training officer and a maximum complement of 12 students. She is attached to the Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit.

Role

''Charger'' provides sea training for members of Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit. In 2011 she deployed to the Baltic, visiting ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark and transiting both the Caledonian and

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

Canals. The ship is affiliated to the Cumbrian town of

Maryport Maryport is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. The town is on the coast of the Solway Firth and lies at the northern end of the former Cumberland Co ...

and regularly visits the town during deployments and for

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

ceremonies. In 2012, the ship's frequent visits to Preston resulted in the ship being formally adopted by the people of Preston. In 2013, ''Charger'', became the first Royal Navy vessel in the 21st century to make the journey up the

River Weaver The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1721 and the work, which included ...

Northwich Northwich is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire West and Chester borough of Cheshire, England. It lies on the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane, east of Chester, south of Warrington and south of Ma ...

Refit

During a refit in 2016 she was fitted with upgraded engines.

Affiliations

City of Preston, Lancashire The City of Preston, or simply ''Preston'' (), is a non-metropolitan district, local government district with city status in the United Kingdom, city status in Lancashire, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Ribble and has a populati ...

*Town of

* * * *

Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This ...

Lancaster University Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

Sandbach School Sandbach School is an 11–18 boys Free school (England), free school in Sandbach, Cheshire, North West England, north-west England. It was established in 1677 by local philanthropists, including Richard Lea, who donated the land for the school ...

Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby is a 7–18 boys private day school, located in Great Crosby on Merseyside. The school's motto is that of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors: ''Concordia Parvae Res Crescunt'' (Small Things Grow ...

*TS ''Tuscan'' (

Connah's Quay Connah's Quay (), known locally as "The Quay" and formerly known as Wepre, is a town and community in Flintshire, on the River Dee and next to the border with England. With a population of 16,771, it is the largest town in Flintshire. The ...

Sea Cadets) *TS ''Caesar'' (

Solway Sea Cadets) * Market Drayton RNA

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charger Archer-class patrol vessels 1986 ships Ships built in England