UK Sends Landing Ship Lyme Bay With Underwater Drones to Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom is preparing the auxiliary landing ship RFA Lyme Bay for deployment to the Strait of Hormuz to tackle naval mines.

The ship will be equipped with autonomous underwater drones powered by artificial intelligence, designed to detect and neutralize threats on the seafloor, according to The Times.

British Defence Secretary John Gill has approved the plan to send the 176-meter Bay-class vessel to the region.

Lyme Bay will act as a command hub, coordinating the underwater drones as part of a multinational operation involving the United States and France.

The mission’s main aim is to create a safe corridor for civilian oil tankers.

Australia will not deploy a ship to the Persian Gulf due to the poor condition of its fleet.

The main reasons for this decision are the absence of a direct request from the U.S. and the government’s clear stance to provide only ‘defensive’ support to countries in the region.

Key technical specifications of RFA Lyme Bay:

• Displacement: 16,160 tons
• Length: 176.6 meters
• Beam (width): 26.4 meters
• Maximum speed: 18 knots
• Crew: 60

Armament:

• 2 × 30 mm DS30B guns
• 2 × Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) modules
• 4 × 7.62 mm Mk.44 miniguns
• 6 × 7.62 mm L7 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Guns)

Air capability: supports a helicopter the size of a Chinook