Royal Marines receive revamped raiding craft

The Royal Marines Commando Raiding Craft are now operational. (Crown Copyright)

The UK Royal Marines has inducted the first batch of revamped raiding craft designed for use on coastal commando raids.

The vessels, which have been redesignated as Commando Raiding Craft (CRC), are an upgraded version of the service’s in-service Offshore Raiding Craft (ORC). It is a multi-purpose craft that can be reconfigured, replacing the troop carrying and fire support variants.

Announcing the milestone, the Royal Navy (RN) said the in-service fleet of ORCs was ageing and had limited range and capacity. The modernisation effort has resulted in vessels that are faster, with better range and more manoeuvrability.