The Hunt class is a class of thirteen mine countermeasure vessels of the Royal Navy. As built, they combined the separate roles of the traditional minesweeper and that of the active minehunter in one hull, but later modifications saw the removal of mine-sweeping equipment. They have a secondary role as offshore patrol vessels.

Development Upon introduction in the early 1980s they were the largest warships ever built out of glass-reinforced plastic and were the last in operation to use the Napier Deltic diesel engine. All were built by Vosper Thornycroft in Woolston except and , which were built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited on the River Clyde. was the last ship of the class launched.

Following the sale of and to the Greek Navy, the sale of and to the Lithuanian Navy and the decommissioning of , a contract to re-engine the remaining eight vessels was signed by BAE Systems in 2008, whereby the existing 30-year old Napier Deltic 9-59K power units were replaced by Caterpillar CAT C32 engines, together with new gearboxes, bow thrusters, propellers and control systems, in a six-year refurbishment programme that was completed in 2018.

The capabilities of the remaining eight vessels of the Hunt class have been significantly enhanced by the installation of Sonar Type 2193 and the NAUTIS 3 command system. The performance of Sonar 2193 exceeds that of any other mine hunting sonar in service in the world today and is capable of detecting and classifying an object the size of a football at a distance of up to . In late 2007 Chiddingfold used the Seafox drone, the Royal Navy's mine disposal system, during Exercise Neptune Warrior off Scotland. Seafox is described by the MOD as a "state of the art fire and forget system, capable of destroying mines in depths of up to 300 metres".

The 2021 defence white paper announced that all the Hunt-class vessels would be retired from Royal Navy service in the 2020s and replaced by automated systems. It was subsequently indicated that the withdrawal would occur in the 2029 to 2031 period, though HMS Chiddingfold was already withdrawn in 2026.

In 2023, the navy began to take delivery of six REMUS 300 small autonomous underwater vehicles (SAUVs), produced by Huntington Ingalls Industries. The system is being acquired to enhance the capabilities of the Hunt-class ships and has a reported operating depth of 300 meters with an endurance time of up to 20 hours.

Ships in the class All 13 ships of this class re-used names from the World War II . Four of the names had also been used for World War I s: these were HMS Bicester, Cattistock, Cottesmore and Quorn. had been a paddlewheel minesweeper in 1916, and was a coaster taken up from trade in 1916.

Navy Name Pennant number Builder Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Status M29 Vosper Thornycroft 1978 1979 2005 Decommissioned, now a static training ship at since 2008M30Vosper Thornycroft19791981In active serviceM31Vosper Thornycroft19811982In active serviceM33Vosper Thornycroft19821983In active serviceM34Yarrow Shipbuilders19831984In active service Reported preparing for refit as of May 2026M37Vosper Thornycroft19831984Withdrawn from service in 2026Used as source for spare parts for sister ships M38 Vosper Thornycroft 1986 1986 2017 Decommissioned 14 December 2017. Sold 2022. M39 Vosper Thornycroft 1984 1985 In active service HS Europa M62 Vosper Thornycroft 1985 1988 / 2001 2000 / In active service Former HS Kallisto M63 Vosper Thornycroft 1986 1988 / 2001 2001 / 2020 Former , cut in two in a collision with a container ship on 27 October 2020. Skalvis M53 Yarrow Shipbuilders 1982 1983 / 2011 2005 / In active service Former Kuršis M54 Vosper Thornycroft 1982 1983 / 2011 2004 / In active service Former Sūduvis M55 Vosper Thornycroft 1988 1989 / ? 2017 / To be recommissioned following refit Former HMS Quorn. Decommissioned 14 December 2017. Sold to Lithuania in 2020. Towed to Lithuania to undergo modernization refit as of 2025.

See also Sandown-class minehunter

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