Retired Royal Navy ship HMS Enterprise to leave Portsmouth for final time after Bangladesh sale - when, times
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The Echo-class vessel was decommissioned in 2023
A Royal Navy survey ship which was decommissioned will be leaving Portsmouth for the final time.
HMS Enterprise is due to depart from the Fountain Lake Jetty tomorrow morning (May 6) subject to weather conditions.
According to the King’s Harbour master shipping movements, she will proceed to the NAB Tower at 8am. She will be towed by Independent and Suzanne.
The former Echo-class vessel was decommissioned in March 2023 following a traditional ceremony at HMNB Portsmouth. The red carpet was rolled out for the multi-role survey vessel - hydrographic oceanographic (SVHO) as the last members of the ship’s company, former Commanding Officers, and sponsor Lady Sally Forbes all attended the pleasantries.
After years in limbo, the ship was sold to the Bangladeshi Navy earlier this year after talks began in late 2025. Reports by media outlets in Dhaka suggested that the country wants to modernise its navy. Former Royal Navy ships sold to the Asian nation include five Island-class offshore patrol vessels HMS Alderney, Anglesey, Lindisfarne, Shetland, and Guernsey, as well as Castle-class ships HMS Leeds Castle and Dumbarton Castle. HMS Enterprise will join the former Royal Navy survey ship HMS Roebuck.
Where is HMS Enterprise going?
The former HMS Enterprise will be heading towards Teesside before relocating to her new home. UK Docks, a defence firm with a strong presence in Gosport, won a significant contract to restore and regenerate the ship.
UK Docks managing director Jonathan Wilson said the “landmark moment” marks the first time the company has worked on a ship for a foreign navy. He previously said: “It’s a completely new development for the company and one we’re looking forward to delivering on. It opens up a lot of possibilities for the company.
“The fact that this is a capital project for the newly-formed Bangladesh Government and that it was signed by the equivalent of the first and second Sea Lords of the British Admiralty, shows its importance to Bangladesh and significance to us. Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest moments in UK Docks’ history, stretching back over 30 years of increasing growth.”