HMS Stirling Castle (M01)

Common card · No. 339153

HMS Stirling Castle (formerly RFA Stirling Castle) is a ship of the Royal Navy. Originally acquired by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the ship was transferred to, and commissioned by, the Royal Navy in July 2025. After being acquired for the RFA in 2023, the ship entered drydock at HMNB Devonport, Plymouth for modification into a trials platform for autonomous minehunting systems that are to operate from a larger mother ship. The ship was formerly named Island Crown, and used as an offshore supply vessel operated by Island Offshore. The vessel was sold to the Ministry of Defence in January 2023 for £40 million. Stirling Castle is one of two new commercial vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, the other being RFA Proteus, a multi-role ocean surveillance ship to protect seabed infrastructure and communications. Originally, up to three additional ships performing the role of mine countermeasures command and support vessel were also planned for acquisition. These were to...

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