Royal Navy ship on patrol off Northumberland coast

The rare appearance of a Royal Navy patrol ship off Berwick pier caught early risers by surprise on Sunday morning.
Ship off Berwick PierShip off Berwick Pier
Ship off Berwick Pier

Resident Alan Hughes spotted it and took this photograph before she headed south along the Northumberland coast.

HMS Severn is the second River-class built by Vosper Thornycroft at their Woolston yard. She is one of the trio of Offshore Patrol Vessels ploughing the seas around the UK almost every day of the year.

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HMS Severn inherited the nickname of our predecessor, the ninth HMS Severn, a wartime submarine which served in the Atlantic and Norwegian campaigns. The submarine survived the entire conflict, earning her the title ‘Lucky Severn’.

The three River class Offshore Patrol Vessels patrol the UK EEZ, routinely operating hundreds of miles off the UK coast.

Their primary role is to deliver maritime security, encompassing fishery protection and Marine Management tasks on behalf of the Marine Management Organisation, as well as a wide range of operations to ensure the security, integrity, and safety of UK waters.

Recently the ship had a successful eight-month deployment across the Caribbean where she provided security and reassurance to the British Overseas Territories and dependencies.

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HMS Severn travelled over 30,000 miles whilst away, visiting 29 ports and strengthening bonds across 20 different countries and islands where she was on standby to assist in the event of a natural disaster.