HMS Charger (P292)
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 HMS Charger with Royal Navy Lynx Display, Northern Ireland International Airshow 2007 |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Charger |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Vosper Thornycroft |
| Commissioned: | 1988 |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2008 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Archer class patrol vessel |
| Displacement: | 49 tons |
| Length: | 20.8 m (68 ft 3 in) |
| Beam: | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Draught: | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, Rolls Royce M800T diesels, 1,590 bhp |
| Speed: | 18 knots |
| Range: | 550 nmi (1,020 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 5 (RN), 1 training officer (RNR), 12 students (URNU) or 12 (RN) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Decca 1216 navigation radar |
| Armament: | 3 × 7.62 mm L7 GPMG (Cyprus Sqn.) (can be fitted with 20 mm cannon on fo'c'sle) |
HMS Charger (P292) is an Archer-class Fast Patrol Vessel completed by Vosper Thornycroft. She is just over 20 metres long and 5.8 metres wide and powered by two Rolls-Royce turbo engines. The ship is based at the Royal Naval Headquarters (Merseyside) in Liverpool and was commissioned in 1988.
She has 4 crew plus a Commanding Officer, and sails with a Training Officer and a complement of students. She is attached to the Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit (URNU), under the command of Lt Hugo Parkinson RN, who is also Officer in Charge of the Unit.
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[edit] Liverpool URNU
Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit (Liverpool URNU) is one of 14 URNUs in the country with the mission statement to 'educate a wide-spectrum of high calibre undergraduates and future opinion formers into the need for and role of the Royal Navy and career opportunities available within the forces'.
Liverpool URNU recruits undergraduates from the Universities of Liverpool, Lancaster and John Moores. Over 50 students attend drill evenings and other activities ashore.
[edit] Sports
Competitions are held with other university hockey, rugby and netball teams and the Unit also has a sailing team. The highlight of the sporting calendar is an inter-URNU sports weekend when the students compete against the 13 other URNUs. Liverpool URNU has won the best mascot trophy in the majority of years.
The students may also learn to fly in URNU flying courses or go on a Liverpool URNU organised expedition. Expeditions including skiing in Europe and mountain climbing in the UK. Recruitment for Liverpool URNU takes place each September.
[edit] Sea-time
Sea time is combined with time aboard HMS Charger at weekends, when she visits local ports such as Holyhead, Douglas and Fleetwood, and deployments during the Easter and summer holidays when she visits ports around the UK and northern Europe.
[edit] Social
There is a social calendar, with formal and informal events which include a formal mess dinner and annual ball.
The ship is affiliated to the Cumbrian town of Maryport and regularly visits the town during deployments and for Remembrance Day ceremonies.
HMS Charger flies the White Ensign at events such as the Northern Ireland International Airshow, the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and the Honda Powerboat Championships.
[edit] Gallery
 Navigating HMS Charger into port |
 Loch Long 2005 |
 Bridge team at sea 2007 |
 Mountain ridge walking in Wales 2007 |
 HMS Charger with HMS Biter in Glasgow 2006 |
 Chartwork at sea 2007 |
 A Liverpool URNU member is winched by Royal Navy Sea King Helicopter 2004 |
 HMS Charger with HMS Biter in East Loch Talber 2005 |
 Liverpool URNU 2007/08 |
 Liverpool URNU playing Manchester URNU at the 2007 Inter-URNU Sports Championships |
 HMS Charger (on the left) with HMS Trumpeter during Bristol Harbour Festival 2004 |
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Miscellaneous vessels
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| List of ship names of the Royal Navy | |||
