RFA ''Proteus'' is a ship of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RF ...

within

His Majesty's Naval Service His Majesty's Naval Service, referred to colloquially as the Royal Navy, after the primary fighting arm of the service, is the United Kingdom's naval warfare and Sea, maritime service. It consists of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Fleet Aux ...

of the United Kingdom. Its role is surveillance, acting as a platform for Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles (ROUVs) and as a testbed for new specialist capabilities, required for monitoring waters important to UK interests. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at

Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...

for modification into a

Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship The Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS) is a type of research and surveillance ship in development since 2021 for the United Kingdom's Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The first ship, , is a commercial ship converted to the role which entered service ...

(MROSS). She formally entered service in October 2023. The ship was formerly named MV ''Topaz Tangaroa'' in 2017–2022, and was used as a

platform supply vessel A platform supply vessel (PSV) is a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil platform, oil and gas platforms and other offshore installations. They typically range from in length and are distinguished by the large open deck area used to st ...

operated by P&O Maritime Logistics. The vessel was

refit Refitting or refit of boats and marine vessels includes repairing, fixing, restoring, renewing, mending, and renovating an old vessel. Refitting has become one of the most important activities inside a shipyard. It offers a variety of services for ...

ted after being sold to the U.K.

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in January 2023. ''Proteus'' is one of two new commercial vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, the other being ; a mine hunting support ship to act as a

mothership A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bomber aircraft, bombers converted to carry exp ...

for autonomous minehunters.

History

MV ''Topaz Tangaroa''

The ship operated as the offshore support vessel MV ''Topaz Tangaroa'' for Topaz Marine (later, P&O Maritime Logistics) from December 2019 until January 2023. Designed and built by Vard Brattvaag, Norway and with the hull construction completed in

Tulcea Tulcea (; also known by #Names, alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 65,624 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city. It is one ...

shipyard, Romania the primary capabilities of ''Topaz Tangaroa'' were to support subsea construction and installation projects, subsea inspection and survey, and as a

mother ship A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bomber aircraft, bombers converted to carry exp ...

to support

remotely operated vehicle A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other g ...

(ROV) operations. The ship was flagged in the Marshall Islands with its home port as

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

. Projects for which ''Topaz Tangaroa'' was deployed includes supporting the construction of the Greater Changhua offshore

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

near Taiwan. File:FRPUN-20230119-XX0014-080.jpg, ''Proteus'' in dry-dock at

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

in 2023, with its previous name ''Topaz Tangaroa''

RFA ''Proteus''

Owing to the UK's government's growing concern about protecting subsea infrastructure, and the 2022

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, ''Topaz Tangaroa'' was purchased by the UK's

in February 2023 for £70 million to be converted into a multi-role ocean surveillance (MROS) ship operated by the

. The ship was assigned the

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

K60. Initial conversion for naval service is being conducted at the

shipyard in

, UK. The MROS was initially announced by the

Defence Secretary A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Ben Wallace during the 2022 Conservative Party conference. Then-

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

had first discussed the possibility of such a vessel in November 2020. She is equipped with a crane as well as a

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

and workshops capable of accommodating remotely operated and other

unmanned underwater vehicle Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also known as underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) an ...

s (UUVs). The Ministry of Defence reportedly acquired three

Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production and fo ...

HUGIN Large UUVs which reportedly can conduct surveillance and surveys down to depths of . Conversion of ''Proteus'' was completed in September 2023 and the ship began post-conversion sea trials. She formally entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in October 2023.UK Details Delivery Timeframes And Capabilities For MROSS Ships
Lee Willet, Naval News, 31 May 2023. A formal dedication ceremony took place in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, in the presence of the RFA

Commodore-in-Chief Commodore-in-chief is an honorary appointment bestowed by the monarch of the Commonwealth realms on various members of the Royal Family. Previously, there have been honorary air commodores-in-chief in the British Royal Air Force and Royal Canadi ...

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (Edward Antony Richard Louis; born 10 March 1964) is a member of the British royal family. He is the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the youngest sibling of King ...

, and

Akshata Murty Akshata Narayana Murty (born 25 April 1980) is an Indian heiress, businesswoman, fashion designer, and venture capitalist. She is married to former prime minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and is the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, ...

, wife of the incumbent Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's La ...

, who will be the ship's sponsor throughout its active life, with ''Proteus'' berthed alongside the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

's preserved

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

, . File:RFA Proteus and HMS Belfast from Horizon 22.jpg, RFA ''Proteus'' and HMS ''Belfast'' from the Horizon 22 viewing gallery,

22 Bishopsgate 22 Bishopsgate is a commercial skyscraper in London, England. Completed in 2020, it occupies a prominent site in Bishopsgate, in the City of London financial district, and stands tall with 62 storeys. The project replaces an earlier plan for a ...

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, the day before the formal dedication ceremony.

Design and facilities

RFA ''Proteus'' is a former offshore support vessel. Designed by

Vard Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...

, the hull was constructed at their Tulcea shipyard in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and then fitted out at their

Brattvåg Brattvåg is the administrative centre of Haram Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located on the Norwegian mainland, along the west side of the Samfjorden. It is located about northwest of the villages of Vatne/ E ...

facility in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

, completed in 2019. Intended for work in the offshore oil industry its role was supporting relative construction, maintenance and inspection work and was already equipped to operate Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The ship is capable of a top speed of 14

knot A knot is an intentional complication in Rope, cordage which may be practical or decorative, or both. Practical knots are classified by function, including List of hitch knots, hitches, List of bend knots, bends, List of loop knots, loop knots, ...

s, but it has a typical cruising speed of 11 knots. It is equipped with 5 x

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s, these required to supply power for the ship, along with the

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

azimuth thruster An azimuth thruster is a configuration of marine propellers placed in pods that can be rotated to any horizontal angle (azimuth), making a rudder redundant. These give ships better maneuverability than a fixed propeller and rudder system. Type ...

s, the twin bow tunnel thrusters and a drop-down azimuth bow thruster. It also has a Rolls-Royce Icon

Dynamic Positioning Dynamic positioning (DP) is a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters. Position reference sensors, combined with wind sensors, motion sensors and gyrocompas ...

system Class II, which enables the ship to remain stationary and includes an assigned operating control which overlooks the rear working deck. ''Proteus'' is designed with

Antiroll tanks Antiroll tanks are tanks fitted onto ships in order to improve the ship's response to roll motion. Fitted with baffles intended to slow the rate of water transfer from the port side of the tank to the starboard side and the reverse, the tanks are ...

, including pumps capable of moving ballast water between them, which counters any horizontal motion. The ship's accommodation comprises fifty-three cabins with eighty-two bunks, these are split across twenty-four single cabins and twenty-nine double cabins. A Royal Fleet Auxiliary crew of twenty-six will operate ''Proteus''. This will be supplemented with approximately sixty Royal Navy specialists, who will be responsible for the undersea surveillance, survey and warfare systems operations. The ship is equipped with a single

cafeteria A cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

but there are several

mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

and lounge spaces for crew relaxation. The ship has a 7.2m² opening

moon pool A moon pool is an equipment deployment and retrieval feature used by oil platforms, marine drilling platforms, drillships, diving support vessels, fishing vessels, oceanography, marine research and underwater exploration or research vessels, and ...

enabling

underwater vehicle An underwater vehicle is any member of the class of watercraft that is intended to operate in the underwater environment, as opposed to surface vessels that only stay afloat on top of water. This article lists the types of underwater vehicle, wit ...

s to enter into or leave the water easily within a protected environment. This facility is located at the forward end of the working deck and the hatch cover is removed by crane. The AHC crane has a long wire which enables objects to be directly lowered to the seabed. It has a safe working load of up to and the working / cargo deck can carry loads totalling up to . The size of the working / cargo deck is 1,000m² and ''Proteus'' is also equipped with a flight deck. There is hangar space for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)s, which runs across the ship for easy access between the port and starboard systems and the Launch and recovery system (LARS) can lower the underwater vehicles over either side. ''Proteus'' has an umbilical tether winch system, which carries the control, power and communications cables for equipment lowered, this comes from drums below decks and then up to the hangar, before connecting to the ROV through the LARS. Adjacent to the hangar are ROV workshops. ''Proteus'' is fitted with a

multibeam echosounder A multibeam echosounder (MBES) is a type of sonar that is used to seafloor mapping, map the seabed. It emits acoustic waves in a fan shape beneath its transceiver. The time of flight, time it takes for the sound waves to reflect off the seabed an ...

(MBES) giving the ship a hydrographic capability and it has a number of work spaces available which could be used for operations rooms.

Career and Operations

As of December 2023, it was reported that ''Proteus'' was not yet available for operations having yet to complete Operational Sea Training and being still required to return to Cammell Laird shipyard in the new year for dry docking and inspections. Pursuant to the completion of work, ''Proteus'' reportedly sailed from Cammell Laird in March 2024 to resume her work-up. The ship visited London during the second weekend of May 2024. She was in Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth as of June 2024, and, as of October 2024, had been transferred to the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead. She departed Birkenhead in late October. In November 2024 Britain's Ministry of Defence released a photograph of ''Proteus'' shadowing the Russian spy ship '' Yantar''.

References

External links

RFA Proteus - Royal Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Proteus (K60) 2017 ships Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary