Romanian Navy commissions former Royal Navy’s Sandown-class minehunter

August 7, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

A former Royal Navy minehunter has been commissioned into the Romanian Navy, where it will contribute to NATO’s mission supporting security in the Black Sea.

HMS Pembroke was commissioned into the Romanian Navy during a ceremony at Rosyth in Scotland and will now be known as Capitan Constantin Dumitrescu (M217).

DE&S’ Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) sold the vessel along with its sister ship, Sandown-class mine countermeasure vessel, HMS Blyth.

Prior to the handovers, the DE&S Ships Support team also worked with Babcock to refurbish both minehunters before they were transferred to their new owners.

The former Sandown-class ship is 52.5 meters long, weighs 485 tonnes, and has a range of more than 2,500 nautical miles without refueling.

Specializing in mine warfare in deep water, the vessel uses high-definition sonar to scour the world’s seabeds for mines and lost explosives, which are then destroyed by the ship’s clearance diving teams or the ATLAS Seafox mine disposal system.

They also worked closely with regional and coalition partners to maintain the security of the sea lanes of communications, crucial to international shipping and the global economy, according to DE&S.

One of HMS Pembroke’s most notable successes was the discovery and safe disposal of a Russian mine from the First World War. A remote underwater vehicle was deployed to identify the device off the coast of Lithuania before it was safely disposed of.

“We are pleased to have found HMS Pembroke a new home with the Romanian Navy. This agreement highlights the strong relationship we have with our allies and feeds into NATO’s collective mission of supporting global security,” Commodore Richard Whalley, Former Head of Sales and Exports at DE&S and now Deputy Director Exports and Sales, International Collaboration and Exports at the National Armaments Director Group said.

“We are pleased to see former HMS Pembroke commissioned into the Romanian Naval Forces. She will play a key role in Black Sea security going forward and this demonstrates the strengthening bond between our two Nations’ militaries,” Royal Navy’s Maj Gen Rich Cantrill added.

The Sandown-class minehunters are being replaced by autonomous mine-hunting systems operating from HMS Stirling Castle.

HMS Stirling Castle is a specialist mine-hunting ship that formally became a Royal Navy warship this month. The ship began life as the offshore support vessel MV Island Crown but was snapped up by the Ministry of Defense in 2023 and underwent conversion at HM Naval Base Devonport to transform it into a vessel dedicated to supporting mine hunting. It has since carried the moniker RFA Stirling Castle.

The minehunter carries high-tech equipment, including autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, for specialist mine hunting operations, primarily in UK waters.