Royal Navy: Eight Advanced Vahana SEA-class boats named as they're set to train new naval leaders
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Eight of the new and advanced Royal Navy training boats have been named.
The Vahana vessels were branded as Cormorant, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake, Fulmar, Skua, Gannet and Tern during a formal ceremony this week. A total of 35 SEA-class vessels have been constructed for the Royal Navy to be used for diving, surveying, and training operations, with eight of them being assigned to the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.
Senior officers at the base were present for the proceedings. The Vahana OTBs – Officer Training Boats - will serve as a floating classroom and trainers for cadets with the updated systems aboard. The aim is to mirror what junior officers will face in the field.
River Officer WO1 (Sea) Wayne ‘Rattzz’ Rattenbury said: “For the Officer Cadets to gain some real Royal Navy experience and pride of ownership we have renamed the training boats from numbers to seabirds, as individual names will embody their lived experience and give them ‘dits’ to spin for the future.”
A team from Babcock’s small boats maintenance team crafted wooden name boards and in the presence of Captain Andrew Bray, the College’s Commanding Officer. He said: “From Jack Speak, our traditions and our history, the Royal Navy has always appreciated a name, so I am thrilled to name all the Officer Training Boats – and it’s another great occasion for the college’s 120th anniversary.”
The first task of the newly named Jet-powered vessels were to ferry staff and cadets to the Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Cattistock a few days after she shadowed Russian warships. They are capable of travelling up to 40 knots and are complete with up to date electronic charting equipment and whole host of other modern technologies.
Many of them will be maintained on the Gosport side of Portsmouth Harbour by UK Docks. The project to build the boats started in 2017 and as a whole cost £48m.