Check out our photos and thoughts from our time on this beautiful and impressive ship!
“A group of 18 VOS guests visited the Shabab Oman ll on Saturday 20 Aug and enjoyed the Omani Navy’s hospitality. Our guide for the tour was very good and answered all our many questions. We were offered falafels, coffee and cake and cold fruit juices before we exchanged gifts, wishing them well for their continued voyage and thanking them for a most pleasant visit.”
– S. Lucktaylor
“[It] was an absolutely fabulous day, everyone turn up and the whole experience was memorable for all. The Officer and crew of the ship that gave us the tour I can’t praise enough for being so informative, polite, extremely helpful and patient. They laid on food and drinks and the day was finished with them giving us a goody bag full of items to keep the memories going.”
More detail about the ship:
Shabab Oman II is a Royal Navy of Oman vessel. She is a full-rigged ship, and is 86 metres long with a beam of 11.1 metres and a maximum depth of keel below the waterline of 5.4 metres. The tallest of her three masts is 52 metres high, and there are 34 sails in total which cover an area of 2,630 square metres. These sails combined with her distinctive V-shaped hull give her a top sailing speed of 18 knots. There is enough accommodation on board for 54 crew members and 36 trainees.
RNOV Shabab Oman II is fitted with state of the art computerised communication systems and navigation equipment, but the ship is traditional in terms of her sails and rigging. All the major systems have been designed to continue working even when the ship heels over for extended periods of time.
RNOV Shabab Oman II was built in Damen Shipyards, Galati in Romania. The hull was launched on 22 November 2013 and towed to the Damen Shipyard in Vlissingen, Holland, where she arrived in January 2014. Here the second phase of construction took place, including the masts. She was officially launched and named on 7 May 2014, and on 12 September 2014 the Royal Navy of Oman took delivery of the ship from Damen.
Thank you very much to the Captain and crew of the ship for welcoming us aboard RNOV Shabab Oman II and for being such amazing hosts. Thank you also to our Chairman, Mike Bowles, for enabling this opportunity.
If you’re a veteran from the UK Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy (from any time of service) or a partner to one, VOS would love for you to join our community. We are here to offer our support: call us on 02392 731 767, visit an upcoming drop-in, or email admin@vosuk.org.
VOS is immensely grateful to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, as without their support and funding we would not be able to provide activities such as this one.
