Lithuania procures 3rd Hunt-class mine hunter from the UK

The UK defense ministry has approved the sale of Hunt-class minehunter ex-HMS Quorn to the Lithuanian Navy, the defense equipment and support (DE&S) office have confirmed.

Clive Walker, the Head of the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA), said: “I am very pleased to see HMS Quorn move on to a new lease of life, in particular supporting the excellent working relationship that we have with Lithuania as our NATO ally, and potentially supporting British Defence with the regeneration package once the competition for the refurbishment is launched.”

HMS Quorn is the third MCMV DESA has sold to Lithuania, following in the wake of HMS Dulverton and HMS Cottesmore in 2008. They became operational as the ‘Skalvis’ class in 2011.

The sale will bring in £1m and there will be income from a levy following the sale of the sonar system on HMS Quorn. The £750,000 cost of disposing of the ship has been avoided.

HMS Quorn, which was decommissioned in December 2017, is being transferred under a sales package that will include the regeneration and upgrade of the vessel. The United Kingdom’s Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA), part of the MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation, will contract for the regeneration and upgrade on behalf of the Lithuanian Defence Materiel Agency. The package is estimated to be worth between GBP40-50 million (USD50.4-63.3 million).