Royal Navy’s survey ship prepares for new record-breaking mission 

Vessels

Royal Navy’s veteran survey ship HMS Scott is preparing for a record-breaking 14-month mission which will keep the ship at sea until the end of next year.

HMS Scott, Image Credit David Barnicoat/Royal Navy

The fifth-largest surface ship under the White Ensign (only aircraft carriers and assault ships are bigger) has completed a three-month £7.5 million ($9 million) revamp in Falmouth to prepare for the most demanding deployment in its 25-year career.

HMS Scott, Image Credit David Barnicoat/Royal Navy

Once trials and training are complete, the Plymouth-based vessel will head out into the North Atlantic.

While deployed, its crew intends to spend over 200 days at sea, surveying half a million square kilometres of ocean and seabed.

The ship has been in dock in Cornwall since she completed that mission back in March, its most successful/prolific since it was commissioned in 1997, according to the navy.

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The team surveyed an area of 400,000 square kilometres, hoovering up data about the Atlantic which will assist Royal Navy operations. 

Now, the period in the hands of Falmouth’s A&P has allowed deep maintenance and technical upgrades on almost all of Scott’s systems, cleaning and repainting all ballast tanks, overhauling engines, generators and pumps.

“We’ve achieved a huge amount during this life extension docking period. The team have worked diligently alongside their A&P counterparts and the ship is now in an excellent condition to deploy for another record-breaking period of military data collection. We’re all excited to get back to sea and back on deployment,” said Commanding Officer Commander Tom Harrison.