Name Sea Otter Laid down 29 July 1974 Commissioned 25 March 1975 | Ordered 26 March 1973 Launched 20 September 1974 Draft 1.98 m | |
Operator Royal Air Force Marine Branch Builders Fairmile Marine, Berwick-upon-Tweed | ||
HMS Redpole (P259) was built in 1970 by Fairmile Marine at Berwick-upon-Tweed as RAFV Sea Otter, the third Seal class Long Range Recovery and Support Craft of the Royal Air Force Marine Branch. The Seal class was similar to the Bird-class patrol vessels of the British Royal Navy. .
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Royal Naval service
In anticipation of the disbandment of the RAF Marine Branch in 1986, Sea Otter was transferred to the Royal Navy on 30 October 1984, and at Brooke Marine, Lowestoft she was refitted - given armaments, a light grey livery, enclosed wheelhouse and extended bridge wings, and modified several times over the years to help her in her role patrolling Northern Ireland.
Post-UK service
As part of the cuts in the defence budget Redpole was replaced in 1994 by a River-class minesweeper, and was subsequently earmarked for disposal.
The ship was sold in 1996, and spent four years tied up in Southampton. The ship was sold again in 2000 to a founder of Digex, renamed RV Badtz Maru (after Bad Badtz-Maru), and moved to Baltimore, Maryland.
Since 2012 as Seaman Guard Virginia she has participated in anti-piracy patrols conducted by maritime private military contractor AdvanFort in the Gulf of Aden.