From time to time, walkers along Hurst Spit might spot a monster cargo ship that appears to loom large over the castle.  One such is MV Hurst Point, whose striking green hull and white superstructure may sometimes be seen passing through the Hurst Narrows.

Hurst Point sailing past Fort Victoria May 2023   © Tricia Hayne

But appearances can be deceptive.  In spite of its colourful appearance, Hurst Point is no ordinary cargo ship, for she and her three sister ships – Anvil Point, Hartland Point and Eddystone – are on long-term charter from the private Foreland Shipping company to the Ministry of Defence. For the last 20 years, their role has been to provide a “strategic sealift service” – in other words, to transport military hardware around the globe.

The ships are all 193m roll-on, roll-off vessels, each named after English lighthouses.  Launched between 2002 and 2003, they formed part of an original group of six that were commissioned to near-identical specifications.

Perhaps surprisingly, though, the ships do not hail from the same shipyard.  Four – including Hurst Point – came from Flensburger Shiffbau Gesellschaft in Germany, while the other two – Eddystone and Anvil Point – were built under licence in Belfast by Harland and Wolff.  As it turned out, Anvil Point proved to be the last ship constructed by the Irish shipbuilder.

Today, each of the charter ships sails under the British flag and is manned by a crew of around 18, all British members of the merchant navy who are Sponsored Royal Navy Reservists.  Tours of duty are typically around 90 days, but destinations – and cargo – vary considerably from one voyage to the next.

Thus, the ship you track sailing past the Needles from its home port on the south coast could as well be bound for the Baltics or the Mediterranean as for the South Atlantic or the Indian Ocean, eating up the miles at a speed of up to 18 knots.  And its cargo – of some 13,000 tonnes – could be anything from tanks or trucks to military helicopters.

So, while Hurst Point’s connection to this part of the world is purely an accident of name, it’s rather appropriate that each time she passes her namesake lighthouse, she is on her latest strategic mission.