HMS Enterprise (A88)

The tenth HMS Enterprise (A88) of the Royal Navy (along with her sister ship Echo) is a multi-role SVHO -- Survey Vessel (Hydrographic/Oceanographic) -- built by Appledore Shipbuilders under the prime contractor Vosper Thornycroft. Enterprise was launched on April 27, 2002, and officially named by the ship's sponsor, Mrs S Forbes, at her Naming Ceremony on May 2, 2002. She is scheduled to complete contractor trials in January 2003, then to be delivered to the Royal Navy in March 2003. She will undergo around four months of naval trials before joining the Fleet in July 2003.

Enterprise is designed to collect an array of military hydrographic and oceanographic data both on and off the continental shelf, and to support mine warfare and amphibious operations. She is designed and built to [Naval Ship Rules].

Enterprise's crew consists of 72 personnel, with 48 onboard at any one time, working a cycle of 75 days on, 30 days off. The ship can accommodate 81 personnel if necessary. The ship is operationally available 330 days a year. In support of this high availability, all accommodation and recreational facilities are designed for an unusual (in a warship) degree of comfort. All personnel share double cabins with private facilities, except the Captain and Executive Officer who both have single cabins.

Echo and Enterprise are the first Royal Navy ships to be fitted with azimuth thrusters. Both azimuth thrusters and the bow thruster can be controlled through the Integrated Navigation System by a joystick providing high manoeuvrability. Complete control and monitoring for power generation and propulsion, together with all auxiliary plant systems, tank gauging and damage control functions is provided through the Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS), accessible through workstations around the ship.

General Characteristics

• Displacement: 3470 tonnes
• Length: 90 meters
• Range: 9300 nautical miles at 12 knots
• Endurance: 35 days
• Power: diesel-electric, three generators, totalling 4.8 MW
• Propulsion: two 1.7 MW azimuth thrusters and one 0.4 MW bow thruster
• Speed: 15 knots
• Sensors:
  • Multi beam echo sounder
  • Single beam echo sounder
  • Survey Planning and Processing Systems
  • Side-scan sonar
  • Oceanographic Probe and sensors
  • Undulating Oceanographic Profiler
  • Doppler Current Log
  • Sub-bottom Profiler
  • Bottom Sampling Equipment
• Auxiliary vessel: motor boat fitted with multi-beam sonar and sidescan sonar
• Complement: 72 ship's company, 48 onboard; accommodation for 81
• Ship's Motto: spes aspera levat: hope lightens difficulties
• Affiliation: Tiverton town

See HMS Enterprise for other Navy ships of this name.