UK’s ‘unique’ minehunting ship enters service

June 15, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

The Royal Navy has commissioned a new ‘unique’ minehunting ship, HMS Stirling Castle, on the banks of the Firth of Forth in Scotland.

HMS Stirling Castle sailed as close as physically possible to its affiliated city of Stirling, berthing at the Port of Grangemouth, to mark the beginning of the vessel’s operational life with the Senior Service.

The vessel became a Royal Navy warship last July, hoisting the White Ensign alongside in Birkenhead after spending its early service life as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel. HMS Stirling Castle has since spent most of the last eleven months operating as a floating home to autonomous technology for hunting mines around the UK.

A recent mission took it to Gibraltar to deliver cutting-edge vessels and equipment as preparations continued for a mission to make the Strait of Hormuz safe.

“A ship commissioning is like a christening, and like the best christening events, we are surrounded by the friends and family that give meaning to our service,” Commanding Officer HMS Stirling Castle, Commander Phil Harper, said.

HMS Stirling Castle is based at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth and was redesignated as a commissioned warship in July 2025, after initially being acquired in 2023 for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The ship, which is home to 45 sailors and officers, helps extend the reach and effectiveness of Royal Navy minehunting operations and makes it safer for those sailors whose job it is to locate and destroy mines.