Lithuanian Navy Hunt Class Commissioning
Armed Forces and large crowds witnessed the handover of the former Royal Navy Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels to the Lithuanian Navy.
H.E Mr David Hunt, British Ambassador to Lithuania, accompanied by Commodore the Honourable Michael Cochrane OBE Royal Navy, Commodore Portsmouth Flotilla and Lt Col Simon Fitzgibbon, British Defence Attaché to Lithuania witnessed the formal handover of the Royal Navy’s former HMS Cottesmore and HMS Dulverton as the newly commissioned Lithuanian Navy M53 Skalvis and M54 Kuršis on Saturday 18 May 2013 in Klaipeda.
In glorious sunshine, as part of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Commemoration of Partisans, Armed Forces and Public Unity Day, large crowds witnessed the handover of the former Royal Navy Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels to the Lithuanian Navy. Also at the event was Minister of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania Mr Juozas Olekas, Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania Lieutenant General Arvydas Pocius and Commander in Chief of the Lithuanian Navy Rear Admiral Kestutis Macijauskas.
This is the culmination of the successful disposal and refit conducted by Thales UK that brings these vessels up to state of the art capability in mine detection and clearance.