HMS Severn Visits Newport, UK

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The Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel, HMS Severn, which is twinned with Newport, will visit her affiliated city from 7th to 10th November.

During a busy few days, the ship will bring groups of school children on board for organised tours and conduct outreach events with local organisations over the weekend.

HMS Severn will then host local dignitaries on board for a demonstration of capability on Saturday evening.

Members of the ship’s company will also pay their respects on Sunday at the town’s Remembrance Day Service parading through the City to Cenotaph where the Remembrance Service will commence at 11am.

Amongst the young people who will get the opportunity to look around the ship are students from St Michael’s RC Primary School, Bassaleg School and Sea Cadets from TS Resolute – all of which are affiliated to the Portsmouth-based Warship.

For some of the more energetic amongst the ship’s company, the weekend’s activities kick off with a friendly football match against a team from Newport City Council on Thursday – the game will start at 5pm and is being played at Newport International Sports Visual.

HMS Severn’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Tim Berry said,

“We are all really looking forward to this visit to Newport, although we are unable to open the ship to the public on this occasion, we are delighted and proud that we will be able to host a large number of young people from our affiliated schools and youth organisations.

“I really hope they enjoy visiting their adopted ship and I know that my ship’s company is thoroughly looking forward to talking to them about the role of the modern Royal Navy, the jobs which HMS Severn undertakes in protecting the UK’s interests, as well as all about their experiences on the high seas.

“We have a strong bond with Newport and we are always humbled and delighted by the support and reception we receive in this friendly city. It will be great to be back.”

HMS Severn is one of a quartet of River-Class offshore patrol vessels, three of which were built to safeguard the sustainability of fishing stocks in the UK often operating hundreds of miles off the UK coast.

The fourth is HMS Clyde and is the Falkland Islands’ Patrol Vessel continuously based there to provide protection to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

HMS Severn, like her sisters, is one of the busiest ships in the Fleet and she spends on average nine out of every 10 days of the year at sea.

Her primary role is enforcement of national and EU fisheries legislation within British Fishery Limits on behalf of the Marine Management Organisation.

HMS Severn has also been designed to carry out a number of other tasks including – but not limited to – environmental protection, search and rescue and maritime security.

With a crew of just 42, split into three watches, the ship is able to patrol for in excess of 300 days per year.

The current HMS Severn (the ninth to bare the name) inherited her title from her predecessor, a World War II submarine which served in the Atlantic and Norwegian campaigns.

The submarine survived the entire conflict, earning her the title ‘Lucky Severn’.

The ship also celebrates her 10th anniversary and a decade of service this year since being commissioned into the Royal Navy’s Fleet in July 2003. She is the second River-Class built by Vosper Thornycroft at their Woolston yard.
Press Release, November 07, 2013; Image: Royal Navy