The British Defence Singapore Support Unit ( BDSSU ) is a British naval facility located in Sembawang , Singapore . A remnant of a larger naval base, known as HMNB Singapore , the facility provides fuel and other supplies to Royal Navy ships in the region, as well as those of other countries. It is the only permanent Royal Navy presence to remain at the former naval base, which is maintained by Naval Party 1022 under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
15-526: The facility has its origins in the larger HMNB Singapore (also known as HMS Terror ), a naval base which was established by the United Kingdom during World War II as a cornerstone of its Singapore strategy . In 1942, the Battle of Singapore resulted in the base being taken over by Japan . However, after the surrender of Japan in 1945, the base was returned to British control. After World War II,
30-726: Is the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named Spey and is the fifth Batch 2 River-class vessel to commission and is forward deployed long-term to the Indo-Pacific region with her sister ship HMS Tamar . On 6 November 2013 it was announced that the Royal Navy had signed an Agreement in Principle to build three new offshore patrol vessels, based on the River-class design, at a fixed price of £348 million including spares and support. In August 2014, BAE Systems signed
45-691: The Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan . Over 500 tonnes of equipment and stores were supplied to the ship in what the Royal Navy described as the "most ambitious storing that a Royal Navy ship has attempted to do within 24 hours" since the Falklands War in 1982. As a repair and logistics support facility, the BDSSU was underutilized by the Royal Navy until 2018, when the UK began a strategic return East of Suez. The consequent re-surge in activity saw
60-653: The Clyde on 28 October for the delivery voyage to Portsmouth. On 7 January 2021, HMS Spey was handed over to the Royal Navy in Portsmouth. In late spring 2021, Spey received "dazzle" camouflage in Falmouth in preparation for deploying to the Indo-Pacific region with sister ship Tamar . Spey was commissioned into the Royal Navy at her affiliated town, Invergordon on 18 June 2021. On 7 September, Spey and sister Tamar departed Portsmouth to be forward deployed to
75-539: The Indo-Pacific region for a minimum of five years. On 21 January 2022, Spey was deployed to Tonga as relief aid due to the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami . In March a survey by the ship revealed that Henderson Island - part of the Pitcairn chain in the south Pacific had been mislocated in a survey in 1937 by one mile (1.6 km). In 2023, Spey was deployed to Australia . In 2024 HMS Spey made her inaugural visit to India following in
90-867: The UK began evaluating options for a military base in the Far East in 2019. Singapore was among the options under consideration. After a period where the unit was led by a civilian from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Acting Commander James Bradshaw, formerly Commander of the Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron, assumed command as Commander BDSSU in March 2017. Commander Paul Bastiaens arrived in Singapore in January 2018. In November 2020, Tim Hutchins became
105-578: The United Kingdom withdrew its forces from the East of Suez . ANZUK was replaced by the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), which included both Malaysia and Singapore, in 1971. The BDSSU was one such facility maintained by the UK in order to support its FPDA commitments. In November 2013, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious visited the facility and was equipped with humanitarian aid and supplies destined for
120-661: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.227 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 208880817 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:02:12 GMT HMS Spey (P234) HMS Spey is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy . Named after the River Spey in Scotland , she
135-621: The contract to build the ships on the Clyde . The Ministry of Defence stated that the Batch 2 ships are capable of being used for constabulary duties such as "counter-terrorism, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations". According to BAE Systems, the vessels are designed to deploy globally, conducting anti-piracy, counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling tasks currently conducted by frigates and destroyers . A £287m order, for two further ships, Tamar and Spey , and support for all five Batch 2 ships,
150-433: The facility after experiencing technical issues at sea. In May 2021, the Royal Navy announced that two River-class offshore patrol vessels , HMS Tamar and HMS Spey , would be permanently based in the Indo-Pacific region with the new Type 31 frigates joining them in future. The ships will use the BDSSU as their primary logistics hub. HMNB Singapore Too Many Requests If you report this error to
165-468: The facility supporting HMS Sutherland , HMS Albion , HMS Argyll and HMS Montrose within a 12-month period — the largest deployment of British warships to the region since the Korean War in the 1950s. During this period, the facility provided more fuel than all of the naval bases in the United Kingdom. As part of an initiative to re-engage with the world after Brexit ,
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#1732780932136180-422: The naval base was gradually reduced in size after Singapore gained independence in 1965 and it was ultimately handed over to Singapore in 1968. The base was then largely converted into a commercial dockyard, known as Sembawang Shipyard Pte Ltd. However, some facilities were retained and maintained by ANZUK , an alliance between Australia , New Zealand and the United Kingdom to defend Singapore and Malaysia after
195-545: The unit prepared to support the 50th anniversary of Exercise Bersama Lima , a military exercise held by the FPDA. In July 2021, the Royal Navy's UK Carrier Strike Group 21 , led by aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth , visited Singapore on its debut operational deployment. At least one ship from the strike group, auxiliary RFA Tidespring , visited the BDSSU to resupply on fuel, food, stores and mail. Another ship, Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond , also visited
210-510: The unit's commander, succeeding Commander Paul Bastiaens. At the time of his appointment, the unit comprised 33 personnel, consisting of UK service personnel and civilian contractors. An average of 120 vessels had also visited the unit over the past five years — primarily from the FPDA navies and the United States Navy — making it one of the busiest UK military-operated ports for frigate and destroyer movements. His appointment came as
225-610: Was announced on 8 December 2016. Batch 2 ships such as Spey include some 29 modifications and enhancements over the Amazonas -class corvette built by BAE Systems for the Brazilian Navy . Tamar and Spey have further modifications such as carbon dioxide reducing catalytic converters. Spey was formally named on 3 October 2019. She began contractor sea trials in September 2020, and after they were completed, left
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