HMS Quorn leaves Appledore unfinished amid payment concerns
Sūduvis’ contract was not included in Navantia’s acquisition of Harland & Wolff yards (Source: Navantia)
The former Royal Navy minehunter HMS Quorn, sold to Lithuania and renamed Sūduvis, has been towed from Appledore shipyard without its planned modernisation being completed.
The Hunt-class vessel had been undergoing an upgrade under Ministry of Defence direction, but work ceased following the collapse of Harland & Wolff, Appledore’s previous operator. Local suppliers involved in the project have told press they fear they remain unpaid, with responsibility likely to rest with the administrators of the old company.
Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed that only tow-preparation and watertight integrity work had been finished. “The minehunter M55 Sūduvis has been prepared at Appledore by Navantia UK to ensure water tightness and safe tow to Lithuania,” it said. Broader modernisation will now be carried out in Klaipėda during a second phase of the project. Arrival is expected in early September.
Navantia UK, which acquired certain Harland & Wolff assets in January, stressed that the minehunter contract was not included in the transfer. It said it had ensured seaworthiness before departure and pointed to a GBP 115 million investment in its four UK yards as part of the Fleet Solid Support programme.
