Lithuania Buys Two Former Royal Navy Minehunters

Lithuania Buys Two Former Royal Navy Minehunters (NSI News Source Info) December 14, 2008: Thales UK’s venture into acting as the marketing arm for the British Ministry of Defence has paid off with the purchase by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence of two former Royal Navy minehunters. The Hunt-class vessels – HMS Cottesmore and HMS Dulverton - were converted in 1997 by the Royal Navy from their original use as minehunters into patrol vessels. These were later declared surplus to requirements and put on the MoD list for disposal in 2004 ... where they stayed until 2006 when Thales UK approached the MoD and offered to use its international marketing and sales expertise to help find a country interested in purchasing the ships in their original minehunting role. Thales UK's naval business has now been awarded the prime contractorship to upgrade the vessels with a technologically advanced minehunting system which will include fitting the new hull-mounted Sonar 2193 system, propulsion, command and control systems, and mine disposal systems. The ships are expected to enter service with the Lithuanian Navy by 2011.