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At a glance
Archer-class patrol vessellarger figure on 1 of 5
Measured figures
Length
Single sourceArcher class · Length
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | Archer-class patrol vessel | Sandown-class minehunter |
|---|---|---|
| Power | — | Paxman Valenta 6RP200E diesels 1,523 shp (1,136 kW) Diesel-electric drive Combimac electric motors 100kW Voith Schneider Propellers Schottel bow thrusters[source] |
| Name | Archer class[source] | Sandown class[source] |
| Builders | Watercraft Marine Vosper Thornycroft Ailsa Shipbuilding Company[source] | Vosper Thornycroft , Woolston[source] |
| Operators | Royal Navy Royal Oman Police[source] | Royal Navy Estonian Navy Royal Saudi Navy Ukrainian Navy Romanian Naval Forces |
Sandown-class minehunterlarger figure on 4 of 5
Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.
Length
Single source52.5 m (172 ft 3 in)[source]
Maximum; Speed
Single sourceMaximum; Archer class · Speed
Single sourceMaximum; Hull design, but limited due to engine fitted
Single source20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) 42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph) (Hull design, but limited due to engine fitted)[source]
25 knots[source]Archer class
Maximum; Speed
Single source13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph)[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
| Succeeded by | Scimitar class ; Cutlass class[source] | Future command and support vessels for autonomous systems , Autonomous minehunting systems[source] |
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| In commission | 1985–present[source] | — |
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| Active | 17 (16 Royal Navy, 1 Royal Oman Police)[source] | 11+ (1 Royal Navy, 3 each Estonian and Royal Saudi Navies; 2 transferred to Ukraine and 2+ being transferred to Romania)[source] |
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| Type | Patrol boat & training vessel[source] | Minehunter[source] |
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| Propulsion | 2 shafts, Cat C18 ACERT diesels[source] | — |
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| Sensors & processing systems | Decca 1216 navigation radar[source] | Radar Type 1007 I-Band/Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar Sonar Type 2093[source] |
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| Armament | 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon on fo'c'sle (" for but not with ") 3 × General purpose machine guns ( Tracker , Raider , Dasher & Pursuer )[source] | 1 × DS30B Mk 1 30 mm gun 3 × Miniguns (replaced by Browning .50 caliber heavy machine guns as of 2023) 2 × General purpose machine guns[source] |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom[source] | United Kingdom[source] United Kingdom[source]Inventory Origin column; table 13, row 2, cell 4; revision 1374498456; retrieved 2026-10-02 United Kingdom[source]Inventory Origin column; table 22, row 17, cell 3; revision 1377558300; retrieved 2026-10-01 |
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| Preceded by | — | Ton-class minesweeper[source] |
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| In service | — | 1989[source] |
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| Completed | — | 15[source] |
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| Laid up | — | 1 (Royal Navy static training vessel)[source] |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys | — | SeaFox mine disposal system Diver-placed explosive charges[source] |
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| Source measurement | — | These small (53 m; 174 ft) fibreglass vessels are single role mine hunters (SRMH) rather than minesweepers. Twelve ships were built for the Royal Navy and three ships were exported to Saudi Arabia . Three Royal Navy vessels were decommissioned following the Strategic Defence Review in 2003; Sandown (January 2005), Inverness (April 2005) and Bridport (July 2004). A further ship, Cromer , was decommissioned and transferred to a training role at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 2001 as Hindostan .[source]Sandown-class minehunter · Development; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage |
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