Former Royal Navy minehunter commissioned into Romanian Navy

A former Royal Navy minehunter has been commissioned into the Romanian Navy, where it is expected to contribute to NATO’s mission of supporting security in the Black Sea. The Sandown-class mine counter measure vessel, formerly HMS Pembroke, was commissioned as the Capitan Constantin Dumitrescu in a ceremony at Rosyth, Scotland.

The vessel was sold to Romania, along with its sister ship, the former HMS Blyth, by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority, an agency of the UK Government that disposes of surplus military equipment. The Blyth was commissioned into the Romanian Navy in September 2023. Prior to the handovers, both minehunters were refurbished by Babcock.

The 52.5-metre Sandown-class vessels specialise in mine warfare and use high-definition sonar to search for mines, which are then destroyed by clearance diving teams or a remote mine disposal system.

Major General Rich Cantrill, the Royal Navy’s Commander Operations, stated that the vessel will play a key role in Black Sea security and that the transfer demonstrates, “the strengthening bond between the two nations’ militaries.”

The sale is intended to enable Romania, a key NATO ally, to have a direct contribution to maritime security in the Black Sea, where drifting mines from the war in Ukraine pose a direct threat. The Sandown-class vessels are being replaced in the Royal Navy by autonomous mine-hunting systems.