The New Trawlers and Drifters – In both the First and the Second World Wars to British Fishing Fleet provided the Royal Navy with many trawlers and drifters which were taken up from trade for all manner of differing services.   The demise of deep water fishing fleet is well documented and the remaining fishing vessels are under a great deal of pressure both economic and environmental, though this is not the concern of this record.    What is of interest is the rise of a new coastal fleet of small vessels which may have a military role in the event of a further major conflict.

At present one of the key elements of our coastal defence are the ARCHER Class of Patrol Boats the replacement of which cannot be too far down the track, with the ARCHER, the Training Ship for the East of Scotland Royal Navy University Unit now being 27 years old.   The main characteristics of the ARCHER Class are a length of 20.8 metres and a service speed of 14 knots, though hull was built to operate at 45 knots if a larger engine was fitted.    These vessels have a typical crew of five with and operate with a Training Officer and twelve students and are fitted "for but not with" a20 mm cannon on forecastle.  The two later editions to the class were slight larger and capable of a service speed of 22 knots and currently serve with the Faslane Patrol Boat Squadron.

The new breed of high speed wind farm service catamarans for wind farm support and crew transport are a growing site around our coast and Holyhead Towing Company Limited is but one example.   Holyhead Towing Company Limited (part of the Holyhead Marine Group) has now nine of their “Bay” Class of catamaran type wind farm tenders all of which are 19.1 metres or larger with a service speed of 24 knots and powered by 1,930 bhp (or larger) machinery.   The Holyhead Marine Group have many smaller such vessels as well as various small tugs and workboats and has now ordered four even larger wind farm service craft from the Australian Austral Group, which are to be built in the Philippines and shipped to the United Kingdom as deck cargo.