Two former Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters transferred to the Ukrainian Navy have arrived in Portsmouth after a two-day voyage from Scotland, the Royal Navy announced on 11 April 2024.
The two minehunters, formerly HMS Shoreham and HMS Grimsby but now renamed Cherkasy and Chernihiv respectively, were commissioned into the Ukrainian Navy on 2 July 2023. Over the last 18 months their Ukrainian crews have undergone training with the Royal Navy’s instructors from Fleet Operational Standards and Training (FOST), ensuring they are able to safely operate their new vessels.
The vessels were originally going to be make the voyage to Ukraine around the beginning of the year, but Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus/Dardanelles and thus access to the Black Sea from the Aegean, blocked their passage by invoking the 1936 Montreux Convention. This stipulates that in wartime, if Turkey is not involved in the conflict, the passage of warring states’ warships through the Bosphorus/Dardanelles will be denied, except if they are returning to their home base. The two minehunters will therefore only be allowed to reach a home port when hostilities caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine come to an end.
Instead, Cherkasy and Chernihiv will be based for the foreseeable future in Portsmouth, where their presence forms a key milestone in the Maritime Capability Coalition: an initiative that the UK co-leads with Norway that helps the Ukrainian Navy with training, equipment and infrastructure to bolster security in the Black Sea region.
Exercises with the Royal Navy alongside the US Navy in UK waters will also give the crews of Cherkasy and Chernihiv experience in operating with NATO navies.
Portsmouth Naval Base Commander Commodore John Voyce was quoted on 11 April as saying, “I’ve just been on board and the sailors are excited and positive about being here in Portsmouth Naval Base, getting support from UK companies and training with the Norwegian and Royal Navy.
“The ships will be based here for as long as they need, and we will be here to support them. The training of their people is important, and they can get out on the sea and work on maritime skills.”
Commodore Paul Pitcher, the Royal Navy’s Commander Surface Flotilla, added, “There are huge amounts of Russian mines across 800 square kilometres of the Black Sea and Ukraine’s economy is heavily based on exporting grain through the same sea. Key to the post-conflict stability of Ukraine and economic recovery is the safe passage of traffic. These vessels will be crucial in providing safe sea lanes for the Ukrainian economy.”
