Combat Fleets
By Eric Werthiem, Editor Combat Fleets of the World
In April 2007, the British Royal Navy handed over the retired mine countermeasures vessel ex-HMS Sandown to the Estonian Navy. Decommissioned from British service in early 2005, the vessel, shown here prior to transfer, has been renumbered M 313 and renamed Admiral Cowan in honor of the British admiral whose forces assisted Estonia in their 1919 fight for independence from Bolshevist Russia. Following training and some minor refurbishment at Babcock Engineering Services, the ship arrived in Estonian waters this summer. The Admiral Cowan' s new operational configuration remains unknown, although it is expected that the vessel's previously fitted 30-mm gun will be replaced by three smaller 12.7-mm machine guns. Two additional mine countermeasures ships, ex- Inverness and ex- Bridport are also expected to transfer from the United Kingdom to Estonia by 2008. Still quite youthful by mine countermeasures standards, the ships are expected to have many years of useful service remaining.
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