Royal Navy Diving Support ships RECLAIM and CHALLENGER

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Not sure where to put this one.


Caught an old 70s episode of Dr Who on the HORROR channel last night (SEA DEVILS I think). The HMS RECLAIM was featured using a diving cannister to deliver the Dr to his fate.


I remember the RN managed to get a replacement called CHALLENGER in the 80s. But it was sold off in a round of Defence Cuts.


Two questions:


Was the CHALLENGER a waste of money and so replaced by a commercial contract vessel?


Were there any other planned replacements for RECLAIM or CHALLENGER?
 
This is an old thread, but CHALLENGER is a fascinating ship. Mods - might this be moved to the Naval Projects subforum?

The 1981 RINA paper The Design of the Seabed Operations Vessel - referenced by D. K. Brown in Rebuilding the Royal Navy - mentions that there had been a number of studies before 1975 for a direct replacement for RECLAIM which would carry a saturation diving system but have little other capability. In that year a more demanding role was identified - which must have been the search and recovery role - leading to CHALLENGER.

Consideration was given to converting second-hand merchant ships or a newbuild, with six design studies carried out. It was considered that splitting the capability over two ships was possible - one with sonars and a submersible for the search role, and one with saturation diving and recovery facilities - but would be less economical in the long run.

Alternative hullforms were also considered, with detailed consideration given to a semi-submersible catamaran, but the disadvantages were felt significant. Accommodation arrangements were drawn up for an RN, RFA or RMAS crew, with RN manning chosen on the grounds of security. Her saturation diving and dynamic positioning also wasn't very well designed, reportedly in part due to the RN not taking into account commercial best practice at the time, though the capability was missed when she went.

So far as her disposal goes, she was apparently reckoned to be worth three frigates, but she was also expensive to run. Cancellation of the ship was considered as early as 1980 as part of the Nott review, and I don't think it can be considered a huge surprise that she was got rid of in the post-Cold War drawdown.
 
Isn't she diamond mining of the coast of Africa now, maybe the RN should have sent her doing that on their account?
 
It's about the only clue left, peeking out from all the tophamper needed for her current role.

Interestingly, the designers ruled out exactly the kind of flight deck she now carries.
 

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