According to information published by the UK MoD on December 7, 2022, HMS Tamar briefly met up with her younger sister HMS Spey in Yokohama, Japan – the first time in 12 months that the Royal Navy’s two Indo-Pacific patrol ships have been in the same place.
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River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar. (Picture source: UK MoD)
Not since a lengthy visit to Hawaii in late 2021 to prepare the pair for the rigours of a Pacific passage and roaming opposite ends of the Pacific Rim have they shared the same waters.
Over the past month or so, both have been in and around Japan: Spey to take part in Keen Sword 2022, one of the region’s largest military exercises.
And HMS Tamar has undergone a period of maintenance on the back of a busy first three-quarters of 2022, most recently operating around the Philippines.
While the ship underwent maintenance – sadly ruling out her participation in Japan’s International Fleet Review – the ship’s company marched through the streets of Yokosuka, about 30 miles south of Tokyo as the country marked the 70th anniversary of its Maritime Self-Defence Force (aka Navy).
The emphasis in the coming months will be on the Indo in Indo-Pacific as Tamar concentrates her efforts further west, beginning with her first visit to Brunei.
HMS Tamar is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy. Named after the River Tamar in England, this is the seventh Royal Navy ship to be named Tamar. She is the fourth Batch 2 River-class vessel to be built.
The Batch 2 ships are fundamentally different in appearance and capabilities from the preceding Batch 1. Notable differences include the 90.5 metres (296 ft 11 in) long hull, a top speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), a flight deck that can take an AgustaWestland Merlin helicopter, a displacement of around 2,000 tonnes and greatly expanded capacity for accommodating troops.
The class is also fitted with the Kelvin Hughes SharpEye integrated radar system for navigation, the Terma Scanter 4100 2D radar for air and surface surveillance, and a BAE CMS-1 "Combat Management System".
