HMS Roebuck (H130)

HMS Roebuck at HMNB Devonport Navy Days, 26 August 2006
History
UK
Name	HMS Roebuck
Operator	Royal Navy
Launched	14 November 1985
Sponsored by	Lady Cassels, wife of Admiral Cassels, last CO of destroyer HMS Roebuck.
Commissioned	3 October 1986
Decommissioned	April 2010 (planned)
Homeport	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Status	in active service
General characteristics
Displacement	1,477 tonnes
Length	64 m
Beam	13 m
Height	4 m
Propulsion	4 × Mirrlees Blackstone ES8 supercharged diesel engines, driving twin Controllable Pitch Propellers via two gearboxes
Speed	15 knots
Complement	52
Armament	20 mm BMARC gun Miniguns GPMGs

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Roebuck.

HMS Roebuck (H130) is a coastal survey vessel of the Royal Navy (RN). She was commissioned in 1986, and was the last traditional survey ship to join the fleet. Although nominally used for surveying along the United Kingdom continental shelf, with the downsizing of the survey fleet, Roebuck has been enhanced to enable her to operate overseas. She is fitted with a full suite of hydrographic sensors, and a Survey Motor Boat for inshore work. In addition, as with the other vessels of the survey squadron, she can also operate as a support ship for mine warfare vessels. Roebuck was due to be decommissioned in 2003 following the entry into service of the Echo class. However, the decision was then taken to keep the ship in service until 2014, though this was later revised in December 2009 to a 2010 decommissioning.

Her commanding officer since August 2009 is Lieutenant-Commander Richard Bird.

Roebuck was the first RN ship into Umm Qasr Port following the second Gulf War. The work she carried out prior to, and during, the war proved invaluable, allowing coalition ships to operate closer to shore than previously thought possible, and reducing helicopter flying time by ten minutes per sortie during the landings. Roebuck completed a Ship Life Extension Period (refit) towards the end of 2005, and then deployed to the Mediterranean, returning to the UK in April 2006. Roebuck then deployed to East Africa in June 2006, returning on Monday 21 August 2006.

Upon arrival in August, the crew had barely a few hours notice before the ship was placed on display at HMNB Devonport Navy Days 2006 as the representative of the Hydrographic Squadron after HMS Enterprise could not attend.

During 2008 HMS Roebuck acted as the Command Platform for the NATO minehunting group SNMCMG1 (NATO Standing Naval Mine Countermeasures Group 1).

It was announced on December 16, 2009, that Roebuck will be decommissioned in 2010.

Her affiliations according to her official website are:-

The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, The town of Didcot in Oxfordshire, TS Roebuck,the sea cadet unit based at The Hydrographic Office in Taunton in Somerset, and 130(Bournemouth)Squadron of The Air Training Corps.