HMS Archer (P264)
HMS "Archer" is the lead ship of the . As the lead ship she was one of several of her class to be completed in 1985 by Watercraft Marine, the original shipbuilders — most of the remaining vessels were completed or built by Vosper Thornycroft. In 2015, she was one of the first of her class to receive an upgrade. Operational history. Early service. The "Archer" class were built as Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) training vessels, but after limited use they were transferred to URNU service. URNU service. "Archer" became the training ship of the Aberdeen URNU in 1991 , succeeding "Chaser". Between 1991 and 1993 she was commanded by Lieutenant John Clink who subsequently achieved flag rank. The role of a training ship within an URNU is to provide opportunities for students to receive practical training and gain experience afloat. "Archer"s programme is generally divided into two durations of training – a weekend or the longer deployments that take place during the university Easter and summer holidays. Deployments in the Easter and summer holidays venture further afield, "Archer" has visited ports from the Western Isles and east coast of Britain to the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and the  Baltic. These longer deployments are often undertaken in company with other ships such as and . The Aberdeen URNU operated from 1967 until 2012 before being moved to Edinburgh. In summer 2012, the ship was moved to Rosyth Dockyard to serve with URNU Edinburgh and to increase the presence of the RN in Edinburgh. In June 2017, "Archer", in company with HM Ships , and , deployed to the Baltic to take part in the NATO BALTOPS exercise, the first time that Royal Navy P2000s have been involved in such an exercise. Crew composition. "Archer" is permanently crewed by five RN personnel, and  is captained by a lieutenant. Chief petty officer fills the role of executive officer and a Petty Officer is the marine engineering officer, and the yeoman and Deputy Marine engineering officer are junior rates of the appropriate service branches. With students embarked (up to a maximum of 10), a training officer is usually present who is typically a RNR lieutenant or sub-lieutenant.