HMS Smiter (P272)

300px HMS Smiter on the River Clyde flanked by two Rigid Raiders from the Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Smiter
Operator:	Royal Navy
Builder:	Watercraft Marine
Laid down:	1985
Launched:	1985
Completed:	22 January 1986
Commissioned:	4 September 1986
Homeport:	HMNB Portsmouth
Motto:	"strike hard and often"
Status:	in active service, as of 2024
Badge:	100px
General characteristics
Class & type:	Archer class patrol vessel
Displacement:	54 tonnes
Length:	20.8 m
Beam:	5.8 m
Draught:	1.8 m
Propulsion:	2 shafts, Rolls Royce M800T diesels, 1,590 bhp
Speed:	14 kn (26 km/h) 45 kn (83 km/h) (Hull design, but limited due to engine fitted)
Range:	550 nmi (1,020 km)
Complement:	18 (training) 12 (operational)
Sensors and processing systems:	Decca 1216 navigation radar
Armament:	1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon on fo'c'sle ("for but not with") 3 × General purpose machine guns

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Smiter.

HMS Smiter is an Archer-class patrol and training vessel of the British Royal Navy.

Service history

On being accepted into service, she initially served with the Clyde Division of the Royal Naval Reserve until 11 October 1990. She then transferred to the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU) of Glasgow. In September 2012 she became the training vessel Oxford University Royal Naval Unit . She replaced HMS Tracker in this role, which transferred to the Faslane Force Protection Squadron.

The Oxford University Royal Naval Unit is one of 14 URNUs supporting the countries' leading Universities in England, Wales and Scotland. The organisation's Mission is to "educate a wide spectrum of high calibre undergraduates who show potential as society's future leaders and opinion formers in order to better inform them of the need for and role of the Royal Navy, and to develop awareness of career opportunities in the Service."

Students from the URNU get the chance to deploy on sea weekends or sea days aboard the ship, where they learn how to handle and navigate the vessel under the instruction of the permanent RN crew of five. The ship also goes on twice yearly deployments, at Easter and in the summer.

External links

• Royal Navy HMS Smiter (royalnavy.mod.uk)
• HMS Smiter in Dover Harbour March 2013 (panoramio.com)