With a displacement of 3,500 tonnes and a crew of 72, HMSEnterprise is 90.6m long, has a beam of 16.8m and a draft of 5.25m. Top speed is around 15 knots. Equipment features state-of-the-art products from QinetiQ as well as integrated survey suites from Kongsberg Simrad which include EM 1002 and 3000 multibeam systems in addition to EA 400 and 500 singlebeam echosounders.

The facilities will enable all hydrographic and oceanographic data to be acquired and processed at sea before further processing at the UK Hydrographic Office's Taunton headquarters.

According to RN estimates, the vessel will be available for operations for more than 334 days each year, a 50% improvement over earlier ships.

She will also be available for frontline operational roles in support of minesweepers and amphibious forces.

Both HMS Enterprise and HMSEcho will be based at Devonport Dockyard, home of the RN's Hydrographic Surveying Squadron, and join HMS Scott which entered service in 1998.

Together, they replace earlier HM survey ships Beagle, Bulldog, Herald and Roebuck .