HMS Quorn towed from Appledore unfinished as suppliers say they remain unpaid

An ex-Royal Navy vessel is due to be towed from Appledore shipyard today, Friday 22 August, without its planned refurbishment completed after the collapse of Harland & Wolff left the project unfinished.

The Hunt-class minehunter HMS Quorn, sold to Lithuania and renamed Sūduvis, had been undergoing an upgrade at Appledore under Ministry of Defence direction.

However, the Gazette understands that some local suppliers involved in the project may not have yet been paid.

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A view expressed to the Gazette is that they fear that the Government’s priorities have been misplaced, and that Lithuania, a NATO ally, has been left without the refurbished vessel it was promised. 

The Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania confirmed to the Gazette that the vessel had been prepared for safe tow, but that the modernisation will now be completed at its home port.

It said: “The minehunter M55 Sūduvis (formerly HMS Quorn) has been prepared at Appledore by Navantia UK to ensure water tightness and safe tow to Lithuania. Only the works required for safe transit have been completed, while the broader contractual programme initiated under the previous shipyard ownership was not finalised. The comprehensive modernisation and upgrade of the vessel will be carried out in Lithuania during the second phase of the project in line with the operational requirements of the Lithuanian Navy.”

Lithuania added that the ship is expected to arrive in Klaipėda in early September and that the country continues to meet NATO commitments with its current fleet.

Navantia UK, which took over certain Harland & Wolff assets in January, said it had ensured the vessel was seaworthy ahead of its departure.

A spokesperson said: “The Navantia UK team at Appledore has carried out tow preparation work to ensure that the minehunter Sūduvis, formerly HMS Quorn, is seaworthy ahead of its journey back to Lithuania.

“A modernisation of the vessel began under Appledore’s previous ownership, although the project was halted last year because of Harland & Wolff’s financial difficulties. In January this year, Navantia UK bought certain assets of the old Harland & Wolff company from administrators but the minehunter modernisation contract was not included in this transaction.”

The spokesperson added that Navantia UK is investing £115 million across its four shipyards, including Appledore, as part of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme. 

It expects around 60 per cent of the value of that contract to go to UK companies.

In Parliament earlier this year, Minister of State for Defence Maria Eagle said the overall FSS build strategy “remains unchanged”, with all three ships assembled in the UK. 

She said around 60 per cent of contract value was expected to go to UK firms, supporting more than 1,200 shipyard jobs and 800 in the wider supply chain.

The vessel is being towed from Appledore today, with its arrival in Lithuania scheduled for early September. 

Work on the ship will then continue in Klaipėda.

Meanwhile, questions remain to be answered about those North Devon suppliers who say they are still waiting for payment for work carried out under Ministry of Defence instruction.

The Gazette understands that queries regarding any outstanding payments to suppliers would have to be raised with the administrators representing Harland & Wolff.