RFA Proteus - Off Shore support vessel leaving cammell laird 16th September 2023

Off Shore support vessel RFA Proteus comes out of cammell laird on to the Mersey with the help of two tugs, VB SANDON and VB PHOENIX then sailing of down river. RFA Proteus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary within His Majesty's Naval Service of the United Kingdom. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at Cammell Laird for modification into a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS).
The ship was formerly named MV Topaz Tangaroa in 2017-2022, and was used as a platform supply vessel operated by P&O Maritime Logistics. The vessel is in a shipyard being refitted as of May 2023, after being sold to the U.K. Ministry of Defence in January 2023.
Proteus is one of two new commercial vessels acquired for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 2023, the other being RFA Stirling Castle; a mine hunting support ship to act as a mothership for autonomous minehunters.
MV Topaz Tangaroa
The ship operated as the offshore support vessel MV Topaz Tangaroa for Topaz Marine (later, P&O Maritime Logistics) from December 2019 until January 2023. Designed and built by Vard Brattvaag, Norway and with the hull construction completed in Tulcea shipyard, Romania the primary capabilities of the Topaz Tangaroa were to support subsea construction and installation projects, subsea inspection and survey, and as a mother ship to support remotely operated vehicle (ROV) operations. The ship was flagged in the Marshall Islands with its home port as Majuro.[citation needed]
Projects for which the Topaz Tangaroa was deployed includes supporting the construction of the Greater Changhua offshore wind farm near Taiwan.
Owing to the UK's government's growing concern about protecting subsea infrastructure, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Topaz Tangaroa was purchased by the UK's Ministry of Defence in February 2023 to be converted into a multi-role ocean surveillance (MROS) ship operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The ship was assigned the pennant number K60. Initial conversion for naval service is being conducted at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead, UK.
The MROS was initially announced by the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace during the 2022 Conservative Party conference. Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson had first discussed the possibility of such a vessel in November 2020.
The vessel was sold to the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in January 2023 for £70 million, with plans to refit it to become a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Conversion of Proteus was completed in September 2023 and the ship began post-conversion sea trials. She was expected to be handed over to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary by late 2023.

[@joesimmons2406]

In its own way, it’s quite a beautiful and impressive ship, in my opinion!

[@flyship]

Great Video

[@veryhighguy]

Thanks!

[@Joe9022]

Im sat looking out from Bowleaze Cove Weymouth at this ship now. Its moored out side Weymouth. Nice video.

[@veryhighguy]

cheers

[@scottseabrook149]

Looks like a winning strategy. Next we should get a couple of new'ish containerships and outfit them to temporarily replace RFA Victoria and RFA Argus.
Both of these don't look like they last long enough to see 2030's/FSS.

[@vipertt100]

That's what our navy did until our new ships are ready.

[@anthonyvella4772]

Interesting vessel from the Oil Offshore Industry. What struck me most is the funnel arrangement or funnel uptake. Never seen this arrangement before.

[@JohnnyMotel99]

Sitting of Weymouth these last days, most odd shape ship.