Former Royal Navy mine-hunter to be brought back to life with £55m contract
A former Royal Navy minehunting vessel is to be brought back to life – thanks to a new £55m contract.
HMS Quorn served the Royal Navy on operations in Europe and the Middle East and played a leading role in NATO operations in the Baltic and Mediterranean before she was decommissioned in 2017.
Once renovated and restored, HMS Quorn will head to Lithuania to bolster NATO maritime capability in Europe.
The Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the £55m renovation contract to the British shipyard, Harland & Wolff.
Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the Appledore shipyard in North Devon at the mouth of the River Torridge.
Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin said: "I'm pleased that this multimillion-pound contract will see a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel restored and regenerated in a British shipyard, supporting UK jobs and strengthening shipbuilding in the south-west.
"Lithuania is a key NATO ally and Joint Expeditionary Force partner, and this mine-hunting vessel will bolster NATO maritime capability across Europe, ensuring the Alliance remains ready to respond to evolving global threats."
HMS Quorn completed 27 years of service with the Royal Navy before being sold to Lithuania in April 2020.
The vessel patrolled the seas as part of the Royal Navy fleet of Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMVs) until 2017.
The Hunt Class vessels specialise in active mine-hunting.
They use high-definition sonar to scour seabeds for mines, which are then destroyed by the ship's clearance diving teams or mine disposal system.
A key NATO ally and partner in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Lithuania will add the restored mine-hunting vessel to its existing fleet, boosting NATO capability across Europe.
Tailored for the Lithuanian Navy, the work includes upgrades to the ship's mission and sonar systems, and an additional search and rescue capability.
The contract will also add new main engines, generators and propulsion gear as well as refurbish the accommodation, hull, ancillary systems, electrical systems and painting.
Commodore Richard Whalley, head of DESA, said: "This contract award reinforces our excellent working relationship that we have with Lithuania as our NATO ally as well as UK-owned Harland & Wolff."
It is planned that the ship will be handed over to the Lithuanian Navy in 2024.
HMS Quorn is the third mine-hunting vessel that DESA has sold to Lithuania, following the sale of HMS Dulverton and HMS Cottesmore in 2008.
Join Our Newsletter
