text:
HMS Westminster (F237)

HMS Westminster is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, and the second ship to bear the name. She was launched on 4 February 1992 and named after the Dukedom of Westminster.

1994–2000
In early August 1995, Operation Harlech was initiated in response to a volcanic eruption in Montserrat. The Westminster arrived off the island on 9 August and provided emergency relief aid. The ship was joined by HMS Southampton (D90) on 19 August, both ships provided emergency relief assistance until the end of the month.

Westminster was used for the interior shots in the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies as three different (fictional) Type 23 frigates – HMS Chester, HMS Devonshire and HMS Bedford.

On 3 February 1999, Westminster joined the Atlantic Patrol Ship South, relieving HMS Norfolk (F230) which was taking part in Operation Basilica in Sierra Leone. When the situation improved it was decided to withdraw Westminster and she sailed from the area on 18 March.

2001–2010
In 2004, Westminster was assigned one of the Royal Navy's first Merlin helicopters. Also in 2004, the ship was the first to be fitted with the new low-frequency Sonar 2087 designed to detect the most advanced submarines. The technology is controversial as its effects on marine wildlife remain unclear.

In December 2005, the ship's company of Westminster were all granted Freedom of the City of Westminster. 200 naval officers and sailors in full ceremonial uniform paraded through the streets of London from Westminster Abbey to Horse Guards as part of the celebration service. Westminster was chosen as a very rare recognition of her contributions to Westminster schools, local charities and the community as a whole. The honour entitles the crew the freedom to "parade through the City on all ceremonial occasions in full panoply and with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed".

The frigate was deployed to Burma in May 2008 to spearhead the British relief effort after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country, but later had to withdraw after the junta refused to grant permission for aid to be landed.

2011–2022
In March 2011, Westminster took part in Operation Ellamy, the British role in the coalition action during the 2011 Libyan civil war by enforcing a naval blockade. She took part in Exercise Saxon Warrior in the Western Approaches with the US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) in May 2011, culminating in a so-called 'Thursday War'.

On 23 January 2012, Westminster departed Portsmouth to reinforce the British guided-missile destroyer HMS Daring (D32) that was also underway for the Persian Gulf to relieve the frigate HMS Argyll (F231).

Whilst in the Persian Gulf she made a port call in Dubai where one of her sailors (Leading Seaman Timothy Andrew MacColl, 27, from Gosport in Hampshire) disappeared, prompting a bilateral search between the Royal Navy and local authorities. He was declared dead by the Royal Navy in May 2014.

In early 2013, she was part of the multi-national Exercise Joint Warrior, practising amphibious operations off the coast of Scotland. In September she was part of the COUGAR 13 task group, for a series of joint exercises in the Mediterranean and Persian Gulf. She visited Gibraltar on the way to the Middle East. This came amidst growing tensions between Spain and Britain over the status of Gibraltar; however the British Government described the visit as 'routine'. In September 2013, she practised anti-submarine drills with the Italian Navy's Sauro-class submarine ITALIAN SUBMARINE Salvatore Pelosi and the Durand de la Penne-class destroyer ITALIAN DESTROYER Francesco Mimbelli. In the Gulf of Oman, Westminster conducted anti-submarine drills against USS Dallas (SSN-700). In October 2013, she exercised with the Indian Navy off Goa.

On 8 September 2014, she docked at East India Dock, by Canary Wharf, in London. In November 2014, Westminster entered extended refit in Portsmouth; she returned to sea in January 2017 with a new principal weapon system, Sea Ceptor, in place of Seawolf, Radar Type 997 and numerous modifications and alterations to her accommodation and working spaces.

Westminster, in company with HMS Iron Duke (F234) sailed with USS George H.W. Bush again, as in 2011, by taking part in Exercise Saxon Warrior off Scotland.

During December 2018 on a tour of the Baltic Sea, Westminster experienced problems with her propulsion and engines while visiting the port of Gdynia, curtailing other port visits in the region.

In July 2020, she took part in NATO exercise Dynamic Mongoose.

In September 2022, Westminster fired two Harpoon missiles in Operation Atlantic Thunder 22 in a SinkEx exercise alongside US forces in which the decommissioned US frigate USS Boone was sunk in the North Atlantic.

In 2022, Westminster spent 90 days at sea.

Westminster entered a planned two-year refit in October 2022 with the intent of extending her service life until 2028–29.

2023–present
In May 2023, it was reported that the refit had been suspended due to the poor material condition of the ship, making her future uncertain.

In January 2024, it was reported that Westminster may be decommissioned and the crew reassigned to a future Type 26 frigate. In May 2024, it was indicated that HMS Westminster would be retired and scrapped.

Affiliations

 * Churchers College Royal Navy CCF Section
 * City of London School Royal Navy CCF Section
 * City of Westminster
 * Duke of Westminster
 * Haringey and Enfield Sea Cadet Unit
 * Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
 * National Westminster Bank (Westminster branch)
 * Southgate and Barnet Sea Cadet Unit
 * The Parliamentary Maritime Group
 * Queen's Own Yeomanry
 * University of London Royal Naval Unit
 * Westminster Abbey Choir School
 * Westminster Underground Station
 * Worshipful Company of Fan Makers

title: HMS Westminster (F237)


text:
HMS Northumberland (F238)

HMS Northumberland is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is named after the Duke of Northumberland. She is the eighth RN ship to bear the name since the first 70-gun ship of the line in 1679, and the ninth in the class of Type 23 frigates. She is based at Devonport and is part of the Devonport Flotilla.

Construction
Northumberland is one of four Type 23 frigates built by Swan Hunter on the Tyne at Wallsend. She was launched by her sponsor Lady Kerr, wife of Admiral Sir John Kerr, the former Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command, in April 1992 and was accepted into Royal Naval Service in May 1994.

1994–2000
After sea trials and going through F.O.S.T. Northumberland was deployed to the Falklands. During her passage, Northumberland had to divert into rough weather to effect the rescue of a fishing trawler; during the diversion the ship allegedly struck a whale; although the damage was actually caused by the vessel "slamming" in high seas at speed whilst proceeding to the rescue. At Tenerife, after dropping off the rescued fishermen, the bow dome began to leak; this continued during her resumed voyage to the Falkland Islands. Northumberland took up station at South Georgia undertaking fishery protection duties; when this was complete a dry dock was found in Rio de Janeiro that was suitable to carry out a bow dome change. Once better weather arrived she sailed to Brazil to be put into dry dock. She was escorted in by two ex-Royal Navy Type 22 frigates. Once in the dry dock, repairs took three weeks at a cost of £3 million.

Deploying to the Caribbean in 1999 for counter narcotics and disaster relief duties, Northumberland seized over two tonnes of cocaine (with a street-value of £135 million), in cooperation with a United States Coast Guard law enforcement detachment.

2001–2010
From July 2004 to July 2005, Northumberland underwent an extensive refit at Number 1 Dock (Inner) at Babcock's dockyard in Rosyth, her first refit since build. This refit saw her equipped with an updated suite of weapons and sensors (including a modified 4.5" Gun and the latest Low Frequency Active Sonar) and of propulsion and mechanical systems. Improvements were also made to the living quarters and a state of the art galley to feed the Ship's Company.  Also replaced were corroded areas of the flight deck. Improvements were made to the lighting system used during night landings and a new helicopter handling system to move a 13-ton Merlin helicopter safely in and out of the hangar was installed.  (Although the Type 23 was originally designed to operate the Merlin, Northumberland had previously only hosted the much smaller Lynx.) The combination of 2087 LFAS and Merlin ASW helicopter has subsequently proved highly effective and the class is widely regarded as the most capable anti-submarine frigate afloat.

Northumberland rejoined the fleet at the Trafalgar 200 celebrations, then embarked for a period of sea training, starting with BOST (Basic Operational Sea Training) in January 2006, straight after the Christmas leave period. For a time during 2006 Northumberland accompanied the submarine HMS Torbay (S90) on her deployment to the US AUTEC (Acoustic Undersea Testing and Evaluation Centre) which is based on Andros Island in the Bahamas. In 2007 she deployed to the Mediterranean as part of the UK's contribution to NATO maritime forces.

In 2008, Northumberland deployed to the Indian Ocean as the first RN warship to participate in the EU's counter piracy Operation Atalanta, conducting numerous counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and escorting World Food Programme humanitarian shipping between Mombasa and Mogadishu; this was partially documented in the Sky TV programme Ross Kemp in Search of Pirates.

She deployed to the Indian Ocean again in 2010 for an eight-month counter-piracy patrol as part of the international naval counter-piracy task force, TF 151 and conducted numerous operations to disrupt piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden and the eastern Somali coast.

Northumberland returned to the UK at the end of 2010 to prepare to enter refit in 2011.

2011–2020
As part of an extensive refit at the beginning of 2011, Northumberland received several significant technology upgrades. The Sea Wolf point defence missile system was upgraded with the Sea Wolf Mid-Life Update (SWMLU – aka "swimloo") which substantially improved the range, performance and reliability of the system. The combat system was upgraded from outfit DNA to DNA2, replacing the combat system architecture to improve redundancy and system performance, and a software upgrade which significantly improves overall functionality and sensor integration, as well as providing MMI convergence with the Type 45 destroyer's command system. The two 30mm BMARC cannons were replaced by two 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun (ASCG) mountings. These allow remote control of the mount via operator consoles and integrated Electro Optic fire control. Additional modifications improved habitability and reliability in high ambient temperatures.

Emerging from refit in the summer of 2011, Northumberland completed her sea trials and weapon acceptance programme, conducting eight weeks of Basic Operational Sea Training (BOST) in early 2012. She deployed back to the Indian Ocean in the Autumn of 2012 for counter-piracy and counter-narcotics tasking. This included the successful capture and destruction of over £5M of cannabis resin from a smuggler in the Arabian Sea. She returned to the UK in May 2013.

Northumberland participated in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013.

The ship joined the COUGAR 14 Response Force Task Group deployment for exercises in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions.

Northumberland eventually returned to Devonport on 5 December 2014 after a deployment which included visits to Gibraltar, Souda Bay in Crete, Bahrain, Dubai and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, Mumbai in India, Muscat in Oman, Malta and Lisbon.

On 9 May 2015, Northumberland was present in St Peter Port for the commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of Guernsey's Liberation. A month later, Northumberland moored off Cowes in company with HM Ships HMS Ranger (P293) and HMS Smiter (P272) to mark the 200th anniversary of the Royal Yacht Squadron. Celebrations began with a reception and capability demonstration onboard hosted by the Second Sea Lord. Guests included the Duke of Edinburgh, as Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and foreign royals including King Harald of Norway, Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

Later in June 2015, Northumberland played a key role in the Waterloo 200 celebrations by carrying the New Waterloo Dispatch letter across the English Channel from Ostend to Broadstairs as part of an elaborate re-enactment retracing the route of HMS Peruvian (1808), the naval sloop which carried the original letter that brought the news of the victory of the Battle of Waterloo back to England in 1815.

In 2016, during preparations for entering refit in Devonport, Northumberland hosted the semi-final stage of the BBC series Masterchef. As part of her re-fit, she was upgraded with Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missiles and returned to sea in 2018

In late 2020, with a television crew filming on board, a Russian submarine being tracked in the North Atlantic hit Northumberland's towed sonar, requiring the frigate to abort the 48-hour mission to find the submarine and return to port to replace the sonar. The Ministry of Defence does not normally comment on such incidents, but this one was caught on camera.

In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Northumberland returned to Devonport after a number of suspected COVID-19 cases had been discovered on board. The ship was previously tasked with patrolling UK waters over the festive period but returned to Devonport so that the crew could isolate, in accordance with health guidelines. The Royal Navy stated that the ship would still continue to meet its operational tasks over Christmas.

Since 2021
In June 2021, Northumberland, along with Tamar and Tyne, was deployed off the Cornish coast to provide security for the 2021 G7 summit.

In 2022, Northumberland spent 191 days at sea.

Affiliations
She is affiliated to numerous organisations:
 * Northumberland County Council
 * HMS Example (P165) and the Northumbrian Universities Royal Naval Unit
 * The Light Dragoons
 * The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
 * The 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
 * The Sir James Knott Trust
 * The Worshipful Company of Bowyers
 * The Worshipful Company of Carmen of the City of London (1517)
 * The Bank of England's North Eastern Regional Agency
 * The Calvert Trust
 * Hexham Abbey
 * RAF Boulmer
 * The Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne
 * Spirit of Northumberland, the RNLI Tynemouth Lifeboat
 * TS Tenacity SCC
 * The Morpeth Pipe Band (whose pipers regularly pipe the Ship in and out of Devonport when deploying or returning)
 * TS Dreadnought (Greenwich, Deptford & Rotherhithe Sea Cadets)
 * Dame Alice Harpur School, Bedford High School and Bedford School
 * Solihull School CCF

In honouring these affiliations, she regularly visits Tyneside (most recently in January 2024) and occasionally, London, most recently mooring along the north side of HMS Belfast in April 2007 as part of the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act 1807. On that visit she was open to the public with a display on modern anti-slaving operations in which she and other ships of the Royal Navy take part. She also visited Baltimore in June 2006, Marmaris in Turkey in February 2003 and in October 2001 attended an Australian Fleet Review in Sydney.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: HMS Northumberland (F238)


text:
HMS Richmond (F239)

HMS Richmond is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 6 April 1993 by Lady Hill-Norton, wife of the late Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Hill-Norton, and was the last warship to be built by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders. She sailed from the builders on the River Tyne in November 1994. She is named for the Dukedom of Richmond.

1995–2000
Richmond was first deployed in 1997 to the Far East as part of the 'Ocean Wave 97' Task Group. One of the most interesting visits she made was to the Russian port of Vladivostok, an important Russian naval base, where she became the first Royal Navy vessel to visit in over 100 years. Also that year Richmond escorted the royal yacht HMY Britannia on the ship's final leg of her final tour of the United Kingdom prior to her decommissioning.

In 1998 Richmond participated in two significant NATO naval exercises and arrived in New York where she was involved in the US Navy Fleet Week. In 1999 Richmond was dispatched to the South Atlantic as part of Atlantic Patrol Task (South) and underwent a major overhaul which concluded in 2000.

2001–2010
In 2001 Richmond joined the NATO multi-national squadron Standing Naval Force Mediterranean. In 2002 she arrived in the Caribbean where she performed tasks including obligatory "fly-the-flag" duties to the Commonwealth countries in the region as well as undergoing trials. In June 2002, two officers were killed when Richmond's Lynx helicopter crashed off the coast of Virginia.

In 2003 she deployed to the Persian Gulf on Armilla Patrol where she relieved HMS Cardiff (D108). She had arrived shortly before the 2003 Iraq War. When hostilities began, Richmond, HM ships HMS Chatham (F87), HMS Marlborough (F233) and HMAS Anzac (FFH 150) of the Royal Australian Navy provided Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) during the Royal Marines' amphibious assault of the Al Faw Peninsula, the first amphibious assault by the Marines since the Falklands War in 1982. Richmond remained in the region at the war's end and returned home in August.

In July 2004 Richmond deployed on Atlantic Patrol Task (North), which encompasses the Atlantic and Caribbean regions. Two of the ports she visited early in the deployment were Jamaica and Belize. In September Richmond came to the assistance of the Turks and Caicos Islands when they were struck by Hurricane Frances. Turks and Caicos suffered only minimal damage to buildings. Richmond then sailed to Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles where she resumed her maintenance period, which had been interrupted due to the hurricane, but remained on standby to provide assistance due to the imminent arrival of Hurricane Ivan.

Hurricane Ivan eventually hit the region, causing significant damage and fatalities, particularly inflicting enormous damage and a number of fatalities to Grenada, which included immense damage to the capital St. George's. Richmond and her accompanying Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA Wave Ruler came to the assistance of the island. The extent of the damage in Grenada reached such levels that Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, was forced to relocate to Richmond after his residence was destroyed by the hurricane. The Prime Minister effectively ran his country from Richmond for several hours.

Her crew having performed vital assistance on land at Grenada, Richmond steamed at her top speed for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands to assist those territories in recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Ivan.

Richmond returned from her deployment in December 2004, and began a refit period at HM Naval Base Portsmouth in mid-2005. The refit, undertaken by Fleet Support Limited, was completed in late 2006 and Richmond was returned to the operational fleet in October 2006. With 44 major upgrades to her sensor and weapon systems, Richmond was at that time one of the most capable Type 23 frigates. From 5 to 12 July 2010 she anchored beside HMS Belfast in London to foster the ship's relations with the Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

2011–2019
In 2011, she deployed to the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region, the latter for upcoming Five Power Defence Arrangement exercises, specifically Exercise Bersama Shield 11. She assisted with anti-piracy operations with the EU Naval Force and was also a participant in the IMEX Asia 2011. After Singapore, she rendered honours to the fallen of Force Z (see the Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse). She took part in exercise FRUKUS 2011 with ships from the United States Navy and Russian Navy.

In early August 2013, she deployed as the Royal Navy's Atlantic Patrol South where she carried out Maritime Security Patrols in the Falkland Islands. HMS Richmond returned to the UK in February 2014. This deployment involved high-profile defence engagement visits to five continents and resulted in the ship receiving Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands Commendation for Distinguished Service. Of note, during her seven months away Richmond conducted visits to five British Dependent Overseas Territories including Ascension Island, St Helena, the Falklands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha. During this deployment Richmond became the first Royal Navy warship to transit the Panama Canal in its centenary year.

In October 2015 Richmond was deployed to the Mediterranean to aid the EU's fight against people smugglers due to refugees fleeing civil war in Syria. She returned to her home port on 11 December 2015.

In October 2016 Richmond and the destroyer HMS Duncan (D37) were dispatched by the Ministry of Defence to intercept and "man-mark" a fleet of Russian Navy vessels, including their flagship RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Admiral Kuznetsov passing through the English Channel on their way to Syria.

On 6 January 2017, Richmond featured in Series 1, episode 9 of The Grand Tour. The ship and her weaponry star in a sequence where James May and Jeremy Clarkson commandeer the 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun to destroy an armoured vehicle manufactured by Richard Hammond. In June 2017, Richmond docked at Chatham on the Medway to mark 350 years since the Raid on the Medway. Richmond entered refit at Devonport in the late summer of 2017. In November it was announced that on completion of the work in 2018 she will not return to Portsmouth and will switch base port to Plymouth in an effort to concentrate the Type 23s fitted with anti-submarine equipment in the city. The refit saw the ship become the first Type 23 to be fitted with MTU M53B diesel generators - these will be fitted to the remainder of the class (except HMS Argyll (F231) and HMS Lancaster (F229)), as well as the Type 26.

2020–present
In February 2020, Richmond went to sea to for post-refit tests. These included the new PGMU propulsion system (MTU M53B generators) and the new Sea Ceptor air defence system, replacing the 1970s Sea Wolf system.

The ship deployed as part of United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group 21, alongside sister ship HMS Kent (F78), travelling from the UK to Gibraltar, the Suez Canal, and the South China Sea in 2021.

In early September 2022, Richmond along with sister ships HMS Westminster (F237) and HMS Lancaster (F229) tracked the RUSSIAN CRUISER Marshal Ustinov, RUSSIAN DESTROYER Vice-Admiral Kulakov and the tanker Vyazma as they sailed near UK waters. In 2022, Richmond spent 145 days at sea.

In January 2024 Richmond was sent to the Red Sea to join destroyer HMS Diamond (D34) and sister-frigate HMS Lancaster in defending against attacks on commercial shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen, and on 9 March 2024 the Secretary of State for Defence announced that Richmond had successfully intercepted two attack drones.

Affiliations

 * His Grace, The Duke of Richmond and Gordon
 * The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)
 * Worshipful Company of Basketmakers
 * Town of Richmond
 * Richmond upon Thames
 * London Nautical School

title: HMS Richmond (F239)


text:
HMS Somerset (F82)

HMS Somerset is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the eleventh ship of the class to join the fleet since 1989. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd on the River Clyde, in Scotland and was launched in June 1994 by Lady Elspeth Layard, wife of then 2nd Sea Lord Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command Admiral Sir Michael Layard. She entered service in 1996. Lady Layard is the ship's sponsor. She is named after the Dukedom of Somerset.

The fourth Somerset to serve in the Royal Navy, she has inherited four battle honours from previous ships of the name; Vigo Bay (1702), Velez Malaga (1704), Louisburg (1758) and Quebec (1759). The previous ships all served during the 18th century and ensured that the name Somerset played a significant part in that period of naval history.

Somerset's home port is HMNB Devonport. The ship has the Freedom of the City of Wells and is also affiliated with the County of Somerset, the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, the 2nd and 4th Battalions of The Rifles (inherited from affiliation with the Royal Green Jackets), TS Weston and TS Queen Elizabeth Sea Cadet Units, Downside, Baytree and Helles Schools, Bridgwater College and the Somerset Legion House of The Royal British Legion. The 19th Duke of Somerset takes a keen interest in the ship and is a regular visitor, and the ship also hosted Harry Patch, Simon Weston (in place of Johnson Beharry) and Marcus Trescothick whilst docked at Avonmouth for a remembrance service to launch the 2008 British Legion Poppy Appeal.

1996–2000
On 2 November 1999, Somerset returned briefly to Sierra Leone to stand by for a possible evacuation of British nationals during a breakdown in the peace talks, though after several days of the talks resumed and Somerset was withdrawn.

2001–2010
In 2007, the first at-sea firing trials of the UK Royal Navy's new 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Automated Small Calibre Gun system were completed by Somerset.

On 18 February 2009, Somerset sailed from Devonport as part of the Taurus 09 deployment under Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson. She was joined on this deployment by landing platform dock HMS Bulwark (L15) as Hudson's flagship, landing platform helicopter HMS Ocean (L12), Type 23 frigate HMS Argyll (F231) and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. In June 2009, she took part in exercise Bersama Shield with Ocean and RFAUX Wave Ruler (A390) off the Malay Peninsula.

In May 2010 she sailed for Operation Telic, conducting boarding operations and oil platform protection operations in the Persian Gulf.

2011–2021
On 3 May 2012, she began a refit at the Devonport Royal Dockyard operated by the Babcock International Group. The refit was expected to take nine months. She took part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013. In January 2015, Somerset took part in the search for the crew of the Cyprus-registered cement carrier MV Cemfjord, which had capsized in the Pentland Firth.

On 23 April 2015, with the Border Force cutter HMC Valiant, she intercepted the Tanzanian-registered tug Hamal in the North Sea about 100 mi off Aberdeen, leading to the seizure of more than three tons of cocaine, believed to be at the time the single largest seizure of a Class A drug in the UK. In Autumn 2015, she carried out security patrols in support of the European Heads of Government meeting in Malta. In November 2015, Somerset visited Valencia - the first Royal Navy ship to do so in a number of years. While there, she met a delegation led by Juan Carlos Valderrama Zurián, the Central Government Representative for the Valencia region, and hosted a lunch to thank representatives of various Armed Forces charities for their work. In December 2015, she returned to port after performing guard duties at the 2015 CHOGM.

In March 2016, as the RUSSIAN DESTROYER Vice-Admiral Kulakov, a tanker and a tug entered the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone, they were intercepted and escorted by Somerset. Somerset was again tasked with escorting a Russian vessel in May 2017 when she monitored the Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar as it transited the English Channel. Somerset was awarded the 'Fleet Frigate Effectiveness Trophy' for 2017. A Royal Navy press release said; "HMS Somerset has been awarded the accolade for being the most successful and versatile of all of the Royal Navy’s frigates, which are widely considered to be the workhorses of the fleet."

Somerset began a major upgrade in November 2018 and officially returned to service in March 2022.

2022–present
In August 2022, it was reported that the ship had suffered a "major systems failure" and had to be tied up in Rosyth for investigation and potential repair. However, pursuant to repairs, the frigate was then reported to have returned to sea later the same evening.

In 2022, Somerset spent 52 days at sea.

In January 2023, work began on installing Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) on Somerset to replace the Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Somerset was to be the first Royal Navy ship to be fitted with Naval Strike Missiles and the removal of the obsolete Harpoon racks and blast deflectors was completed in January 2023. However, reported "persistent defects" in the ship since she emerged from refit in 2022 forced her back into dry dock on three occasions. As of September 2023, she was again in dry dock with the planned fitting of NSM and the testing of other key systems delayed. The ship was reported to have returned to sea in October. In December, HMS Somerset became the first Royal Navy warship to go to sea with NSM. She reportedely suffered a further breakdown in February 2024 delaying both her return to active operations as well as the testing of NSM for deployment with the Royal Navy.

Affiliations

 * Duchy of Somerset
 * The Rifles
 * Wells, Somerset
 * Worshipful Society of Apothecaries
 * Somerset County Council
 * Downside School CCF, Somerset

title: HMS Somerset (F82)


text:
HMS Grafton (F80)

HMS Grafton is a Type 23 frigate formerly in service with the Royal Navy. She was the ninth vessel to bear the name, and is named after the Duke of Grafton. Ordered in January 1992, Grafton was laid down on 13 May 1993 by Yarrow Shipbuilders. The frigate was launched on 5 November 1994 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 29 May 1997 with the pennant number F80. In 2007 the ship was transferred to Chile as Almirante Lynch and, having undergone a significant upgrade from 2019 to 2020, remains in service with the Chilean Navy.

Design
Designed to replace the Leander-class frigate, the Type 23 frigate's operational role as an anti-submarine warfare platform. They are 133 m long with a beam of 16.1 m, a draught of 7.3 m and displaces 4,900 tonnes.

They are propelled by a combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) system with two Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas turbines and four Paxman Valenta diesel engines. They are also equipped with two GEC electric motors. This gives the ships a maximum speed of 28 kn and 15 kn on diesel-electric. The vessels have an effective range of 7800 nmi at 15 knots.

Armament
Designed to replace the Leander class, the Type 23 frigate's operational role as an anti-submarine warfare platform. The design grew to encompass the Sea Wolf and Harpoon missile systems for air defence and anti-ship purposes respectively. They were also equipped with one BAE 4.5-inch (113 mm) Mk 8 gun.

For anti-submarine purposes they have four Sting Ray torpedo tubes. For anti-missile defence they have Seagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers.

Royal Navy service
On 23 September 1998, while operating off the coast of Malaysia, Grafton's Lynx helicopter crashed into the sea during a night exercise, one crew member was killed.

In 2003, the ship was used in the ITV drama series Making Waves as the fictional Royal Navy warship Suffolk. In early 2004 the ship was deployed in the Persian Gulf. In July 2004, it was announced that Grafton would be one of three Type 23 frigates to be decommissioned by the end of 2006.

In June 2005, it was announced that Grafton would be sold to the Chilean Navy. During her service in the Royal Navy, her crew were awarded the freedom of the Borough of Ipswich, due to their frequent visits to the Suffolk town. On her last visit to Ipswich in 2006, the ship's bell was presented to the town as a permanent reminder of the links between Grafton and Ipswich. The bell is now on display in the reception area of the Ipswich Borough Council offices at Grafton House, named for the connection to the warship. She was decommissioned on 31 March 2006.

Chilean naval service
The frigate was delivered to Chilean Navy on 28 March 2007 at Portsmouth and renamed Almirante Lynch (FF-07) after Patricio Lynch.

Along with other Chilean vessels of her class, Almirante Lynch underwent a significant upgrade from June 2019 to December 2020. The CMS 330 combat management architecture was installed along TRS-4D G-Band active scanning radars and 32 CAMM Sea Ceptor vertical-launch surface-to-air missile silos to replace the previous Sea Wolf SAM system.

Almirante Lynch participated in the multinational military exercise RIMPAC 2022.

title: HMS Grafton (F80)


text:
HMS Sutherland (F81)

HMS Sutherland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the thirteenth ship in the Duke class of frigates and is the third ship to bear the name, more than 200 years since the name was last used.

She was launched in 1996 by Lady Christina Walmsley, wife of Sir Robert Walmsley. Before this occasion, Royal Navy ships had always been launched with a bottle of champagne, but Lady Walmsley broke with tradition and used a bottle of Macallan Scotch whisky.

1997–2000
Sutherland was deployed to the Falkland Islands in the late 1998/ early 1999. In 2000, she was part of the task force NTG2000, the first time Royal Navy ships have circumnavigated the globe since 1986.

2001–2010
After berthing at Invergordon, HMS Sutherland was granted the freedom of the county of Sutherland at a ceremony in Dornoch on 18 September 2004. A subsequent visit to Invergordon in March 2011 was cut short, with "operational commitments" as the given reason. This was eventually revealed as her deployment as part of the UK Response Force Task Group's (RFTG) first deployment, named COUGAR 11. She returned to Invergordon in April 2013.

2011–2020
In May 2011, she made a port visit to Patras, Greece, following participation in military exercises off Crete, after which she became involved in the operations off the Libyan coast. On 16 June 2011, Sutherland visited Souda Bay in Crete to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, before sailing to Kalamata in Greece to conduct further World War II memorials. On 24 July 2011, Sutherland returned to the coast of Libya as part of Operation Ellamy. On 18 October 2011, Sutherland passed through Tower Bridge in London and docked next to HMS Belfast (C35), returning through the bridge on 22 October 2011.

In 2012, she was part of the COUGAR 12 task group. She took part in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013.

Sutherland to part in 2016 Exercise Griffin Strike, a UK-French combined exercise. Sutherland escorted the RUSSIAN FRIGATE Admiral Grigorovich through the English Channel in May 2016. In April 2017, Sutherland was again tasked with escorting Russian warships in the English Channel, on this occasion, the Steregushchiy-class corvettes, RUSSIAN CORVETTE Soobrazitelnyy and RUSSIAN CORVETTE Boikiy.

Sutherland was the first vessel assigned to escort the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) when she embarked on sea trials in June 2017.

In 2018 Sutherland had a deployment to the Pacific Ocean. Part of her mission was "to continue the pressure campaign on North Korea", and on her return traveled through the South China Sea to assert navigation rights against Chinese claims.

Early in 2019 she served as a testbed for an integrated mount for the Martlet LMM and 30 mm cannon, successfully engaging in firing operations against a motorboat-sized target at the Aberporth range in Wales.

2021–present
In April 2021, Sutherland entered long-term refit to incorporate Sea Ceptor SAMs as well as other system updates. The frigate was reported to have been removed from dry dock in March 2024, it being anticipated that she will begin post-refit sea trials later in the year.

Affiliations

 * The Highlanders, 4th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
 * County of Sutherland
 * Honourable Company of Master Mariners
 * Sherborne School CCF
 * Clifton College, Bristol CCF's
 * TS Grenville, Paisley (Sea Cadets)
 * TS Duchess, Biggleswade (Sea Cadets)
 * Royal Dornoch Golf Club

title: HMS Sutherland (F81)


text:
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title: User talk:Gnosis~enwiki


text:
HMS Kent (F78)

HMS Kent is a Type 23 Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy, and the twelfth ship to bear the name, although formally she is named after the dukedom rather than the county. Sponsored by Princess Alexandra, The Hon. Lady Ogilvy (daughter of the late Prince George, Duke of Kent), Kent was launched on 28 May 1998 and commissioned on 8 June 2000 under the command of then Commander John Clink. She was the first ship to enter Royal Navy service in the 21st century and the first Royal Navy warship with a female Executive Officer, Lt Cdr Vanessa Jane Spiller, appointed in April 2001.

Kent's lineage boasts sixteen Battle Honours from the three given to the first Kent of 46 guns built in 1653, to the five awarded to the ninth and tenth Kents of World War I and World War II.

2001–2010
March 2002 saw Kent return from the Persian Gulf after a five-month mission. Kent seized more than £4 million of oil and illegal cargo: a record for the time. This mission also included the boarding of MV Ismael, a vessel which strayed in and out of Iranian waters to avoid capture – waters which Kent was forbidden to enter.

Kent was damaged following a collision with HMS Argyll during a line transfer demonstration off Portsmouth in June 2004.

On 12 June 2006 Kent started a six-month deployment to Gibraltar, Malta and the Suez Canal.

Kent was in the Northern Persian Gulf working 22-day patrols safeguarding the oil platforms and checking shipping in the area as per United Nations Security Council Regulations. Kent later conducted a self-maintenance period at Port Rashid, Dubai. After 60 days of patrols, 47 security sweeps of vessels approaching the oil platforms and 515 queries of merchant vessels, Kent left the Northern Persian Gulf and set sail home. A four-day visit to Muscat in Oman followed, which included training with the Omani Navy.

In Mumbai, Prince Andrew visited Kent.

15:00 hours, 5 November 2006 saw Kent hand over her duties to HMS Sutherland (F81) in Salalah, Oman. Later on her way home, Kent made a goodwill visit to Beirut on Friday 17 November. The ship featured on national news and the crew visited some of the local sites.

After Beirut, Kent visited Souda Bay and then the port of Civitavecchia, Italy. Algiers was the next stop, showcasing training to the Algerian Navy.

In February 2007 the ship was awarded the Thales fleet active ASW award 2005/2006. Due to the busy period of deployments, the award ceremony had to be delayed until 2007.

December 2007 saw Kent preparing for the customary Operational Sea Training period, training with aircraft and sea boat operations.

January 2008 saw preparations for OST continuing afoot ready for the initial materials and safety audit.

Kent was in refit for replacement of two of the four Paxman Valenta diesel engines.

May 2008 saw Kent off the Channel Islands providing a demonstration of the Royal Navy to the local islanders. This was also the first Jersey Boat Show with Kent the largest vessel on show. The following Thursday saw the culmination of Operational Sea Training.

Kent would get underway from 'The Wall' at Portsmouth for a six-month deployment to South Asia and the Far East. This voyage included visits to countries such as Russia, China, Japan and Indonesia, as well as participation in various multi-national exercises. 27 July 2008, saw Kent hosting a solemn memorial service over the historic shipwreck of HMS Exeter (68) in the Java Sea. Kent left the Indonesian port of Surabaya (just as Exeter had on the evening of 28 February 1942, on her last fateful voyage ), performed the ceremony and then continued on to Jakarta. Aboard were a BBC film crew and four of HMS Exeter's veteran survivors (photo below), one of the divers involved in the discovery of the wreck, (who, representing the other three discovery team members, and as part of the memorial service, handed over to the four survivors the Royal Navy Ensign they had 'flown' on the wreck during their discovery dives in February 2007), along with several British dignitaries and high ranking naval officers.

In June 2010, Kent was sent on a mission to Sweden. The celebration of the official Queen's Birthday Party was held on board the British warship in Gothenburg harbour, the first time that the event has been held outside Stockholm. After a stop at Hanö island where tribute was paid to the fifteen British sailors who rest there, Kent then continued to Stockholm to join the celebrations for the Wedding of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, and Daniel Westling.

In December 2010, Kent was withdrawn from the deployable fleet and entered overhaul. Her Commander, Nick Cooke-Priest moved to command Iron Duke, leaving second-in-command, Lt Cdr Alasdair Peppe in charge.

2011-2020
Cdr Ben Ripley assumed command following the 2012 refit and deployed to the Horn of Africa on anti-priracy and anti-drug missions in July 2013,. She worked with the Combined Maritime Forces and returned home in October 2013

In October 2014, Kent deployed to the Persian Gulf alongside USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and other US Navy fleet units in the US Fifth Fleet's area of responsibility to help in efforts against smugglers, pirates, terrorists and also in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The ship visited many countries in the middle east, including Bahrain and Jordan. HMS Kent returned in May 2015.

In late 2016, Kent entered the Frigate Refit Complex in Devonport for an extensive refit which will include the fitting of the SeaCeptor missile system in place of Sea Wolf. After the refit, she was recommissioned in Portsmouth on 5 October 2018 under the command of Cdr Andy Brown,.

On 12 August 2019, Kent deployed toward the Persian Gulf to relieve HMS Duncan (D37) and protect commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf region.

2021–present
In 2021, Kent deployed to the Pacific as part of the Royal Navy's carrier strike group.

On 14 October 2021, Kent visited Chattogram, Bangladesh as part of celebrations of 50 years of Bangladeshi independence. She departed Bangladesh on the 19 October.

Cdr Jeremy "Jez" Brettell assumed command of Kent as her 14th and current Commanding Officer, relieving Cdr Matt J Sykes on 20 January 2022.

In 2022, Kent spent 127 days at sea. In September 2023, the frigate was again tasked to escort HMS Queen Elizabeth during her "Operation FIREDRAKE" deployment in northern European waters. After some delay, the ship departed Portsmouth in late October.

Commanding officers
Notable commanding officers include Kent's first CO, then Cdr John Clink, who went on to command HMS Ark Royal (R07), Commander United Kingdom Strike Force, British Forces Gibraltar, and Commander Fleet Operational Sea Training, retiring as a Rear admiral, and earning an in 2002 and  in 2017. Cdr Gavin Pritchard went on to become Chief of Staff of the UK Maritime Component Commander's HQ in Bahrain, earning an in 2009. Cdr Nick Cooke-Priest would rise to Commodore and commander of HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), earning an in 2016. Cdr Andrew S Brown earned a prior to his appointment to Kent as commander of HMS Chiddingfold in 2016.

In popular culture
On 2 September 2000, men and women aboard HMS Kent participated in a Changing Rooms special to give the ship's mess rooms a makeover.

Emily Hamilton's role of Lt Cdr Jenny Howard in the 2004 ITV series Making Waves was influenced by the real life Kent XO, Lt Cdr Vanessa Jane Spiller, then the first and only female XO serving aboard a warship in the Royal Navy.

Affiliations

 * Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry
 * No. 6 Squadron RAF
 * The Cinque Ports
 * The Royal Tank Regiment

title: HMS Kent (F78)


text:
HMS Portland (F79)

HMS Portland is a Type 23 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates, and is named for the currently extinct title of the Dukedom of Portland, and more particularly for the third Duke, who was Prime Minister.

2000–2010
The ship was accepted into service by the Royal Navy on 15 December 2000 and was commissioned on 3 May the following year. Present at the commissioning ceremony was Portland's sponsor Lady Brigstocke, wife of Admiral Sir John Brigstocke, a former Second Sea Lord; Lady Brigstocke launched the ship in 1999.

During sea trials Portland attained a top speed of 30.8 kn, the fastest speed attained by any Type 23 frigate at that time.

Portland's Lynx helicopter (XZ724) was lost at sea on 8 December 2004. The aircraft had been launched following the potential sighting of a man overboard. All four crew were killed, including Lieutenant David Cole RN, the flight commander, who had embarked to augment the duty crew.

Portland assisted in the search for men lost from a capsized yacht on 3 February 2007.

She was deployed to the Caribbean for seven months in 2007, intercepting 3.5 tonnes of cocaine in cooperation with a United States Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and conducting disaster relief in Belize following Hurricane Dean.

In April 2008, Portland visited Liverpool with HMS Mersey (P283) and berthed at the cruise liner terminal at Prince's Dock.

In June 2009 while taking part in anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, Portland intercepted ten alleged pirates but because the suspects were not caught in the immediate act of piracy, the vessel was unable legally to detain them.

In late April 2010, Portland relieved HMS York (D98) on the Atlantic Patrol Task (South).

2011–2021
June 2011 saw Portland conducting night Naval Gunnery practice off Gibraltar in the Mediterranean. Towards the end of the month she sailed to Edinburgh to take part in Armed Forces Day. She was the first major warship in the Royal Navy to be commanded by a woman: Commander Sarah West assumed command of HMS Portland on 21 May 2012, but was relieved of command in July 2014 following an alleged affair with one of the ship's officers.

Portland spent 2012 at Rosyth in a 50-week refit that saw her upgraded with Sonar 2087, new IT systems, Sea Wolf mid-life overhaul, gun replacements, galley refurbishment and accommodation improvements. She left Rosyth on 14 December 2012 for three months of sea trials.

In August 2013, she was announced as the Fleet Ready Escort for the next two months. She participated in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013.

On 2 August 2014, she completed the 7-month task of the Atlantic Patrol ship.

On 20 June 2016, Portland departed Devonport for a nine-month patrol covering the Middle East and the South Atlantic Ocean. Portland was the last Royal Navy ship to carry Radar 996 and was the last ship to conduct a Replenishment at Sea with RFA Gold Rover prior to the latter ship's decommissioning

In 2018, Portland began a Life Extension (LIFEX) refit at Babcock's Frigate Support Centre in Devonport. Her refit included the installation of the Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile system, 997 surveillance radar, 1084 navigational radar and the 2150 hull-mounted sonar. She returned to sea in March 2021.

2022–present
In 2022, Portland spent 152 days at sea.

In 2023, Portland and USS Porter were present at Halifax's fleet week, making it the city's first international fleet week.

From February 2024, Portland participated in Steadfast Defender 2024 as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group.

Affiliations

 * Irish Guards
 * The Royal Wessex Yeomanry
 * Worshipful Company of Scriveners
 * Worshipful Company of Masons
 * Dorset Chamber of Commerce
 * Earl of Portland
 * Cambridge URNU

title: HMS Portland (F79)


text:
HMS St Albans (F83)

HMS St Albans is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the sixth ship to bear the name and is the sixteenth and final ship in the Duke class of frigates. She is based in Devonport, Plymouth.

2000–2010
The ship was launched on the River Clyde on 6 May 2000, built by BAE Systems at Yarrows Yard in Scotstoun, Glasgow.

On 27 October 2002, before entering operational service, St Albans was struck by the P&O ferry MS Pride of Portsmouth when gale-force winds pushed the ferry into the ship whilst secure on her berth in Portsmouth. St Albans suffered damage to the gun deck, the sea boat supports (davits) and the bridge wing. However, no members of the crew were injured. In 2004, Commander Steve Dainton RN took command and the ship was deployed on Operation Oracle duties in the Arabian Sea. In July that year the crew were granted the Freedom of the City by the Mayor of St Albans.

On 13 February 2006, St Albans departed on a six-month deployment to the Gulf region. She arrived in the region in early April, where her tasks included protecting Iraqi oil platforms as well as patrol duties in the northern Gulf. During the trip, she provided a diplomatic role by visiting 16 countries, including Algeria, Albania, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Lebanon. By 12 July 2006 she had completed her tour in the Gulf and had begun her long journey back to Portsmouth via the Suez Canal and the eastern Mediterranean. However, on the same day, the conflict between Israel and Lebanon began. As a result, the Ministry of Defence announced on 17 July that year that St Albans had been redeployed to assist in Operation Highbrow, the evacuation of British citizens trapped in Lebanon. She arrived in the area on 20 July and the following day picked up 243 evacuees from the dock in Beirut and safely transported them to Cyprus. After completing her role in the evacuation, she remained on operational stand-by in the vicinity of Beirut for a short time before being resuming her voyage home. The ship finally arrived back in Portsmouth on 18 August 2006.

Following the ship's successful six-month tour, St Albans underwent maintenance. During this time, the ship received a new commanding officer, Commander Mark Newland RN. The ship stayed in British waters, participated in submarine training in the Irish Sea, weapon training off the south coast and visited Glasgow on 11 November 2006 to take part in Remembrance Sunday events.

From 5 January until 15 January 2007 the ship was open to the public as part of the London Boat Show. Following this, the ship conducted various training exercises and engineering trials in the UK. The ship's crew then went on Easter leave before returning to conduct more training activities. In May 2007, St Albans entered a period of maintenance that lasted over a year, with her crew temporarily reassigned to other vessels for the duration of the work. The maintenance programme took place in dry dock, situated in Rosyth, with a skeleton crew of engineers supervising the overhaul of several of the ship's systems. Their work included the installation of a new Type 2087 sonar system and converting the ship so that she could operate Merlin helicopters. The upgrade took 15 months and cost £15 million. The ship then returned to her home port of Portsmouth and was accepted back into the fleet in July 2008. The ship was then put through various equipment tests and training routines throughout the later part of the year. St Albans left Portsmouth on 19 January 2009 to conduct maritime security patrols in the Mediterranean. The ship joined a NATO Task Group in the Mediterranean, protecting busy shipping trade routes. St Albans was also a part of the rapid-response NATO Response Force (NRF). The ship also visited ports in Majorca, Italy and Egypt whilst in the region. She arrived on the Clyde on 7 May 2009 at 1500hrs, heading for Faslane.

St Albans was deployed in the Persian Gulf until mid-2010. She left Portsmouth on 1000hrs on 1 February on a deployment including supporting international efforts in "tackling piracy, illegal trafficking, and smuggling." Later in that deployment St Albans helped the Iraqi government "protect their oil platforms, and provide security to ensure regional stability". After completing her tour in the Middle East, she visited Grand Harbour, Malta for four days in July 2010 on her way back to the United Kingdom.

2011–present
2011 saw St Albans become affiliated with the Marketors' Company in addition to the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers. The warship helped in the recovery of a diver who had got into difficulties near Salcombe on 26 March 2011, although the diver was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. On 1 July 2011, St Albans rescued 13 sailors off the coast of Oman from the stricken tanker MV Pavit, which had spent three days drifting in a heavy storm after losing power. St Albans used her Merlin helicopter embarked from 829 Naval Air Squadron to winch the crew to safety. The rescued sailors were later transferred to their sister ship, the MV Jag Pushpa. After operating in the Middle East conducting counter-terrorism and anti-piracy operations, having relieved the frigate HMS Iron Duke (F234), She returned to Portsmouth, via Malta and Lisbon, in December 2011.

In March 2012, St Albans visited the Pool of London where she entertained a number of her affiliate organisations and other guests before returning to her home port of Portsmouth to conduct exercises in the Western Approaches. In May, she visited Iceland, where the captain Commander Tom Sharpe and Britain's Ambassador to Iceland Ian Whitting cast a wreath into Hvalfjörður, once a staging point for the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union. After a return to Portsmouth, she sailed up the Elbe to Hamburg to take part in the port's 823rd birthday celebrations. In June, St Albans visited the home of the German Navy in Kiel, joining in the huge maritime event attended by 50 countries, 2,000 yachts and pleasure craft and more than 5,000 yachtsmen and women. Before joining in the celebrations, members of the ship's company, two platoons and the ship's guard headed to a remembrance service and wreath laying at the Commonwealth Cemetery at Nordfriedhof.

St Albans continued her home duties visiting the Channel Islands and Holyhead with an extended tour visiting Stavanger, Oslo and Amsterdam. During this deployment she was the last ship to fire the Royal Navy's 4.5" Mk.8 Mod 0 gun off Stavanger. In May 2013 she was handed over to BAe Systems for a refit in Portsmouth Harbour, her home port, silently coached into C lock. She remained in dock until spring 2014 to be modernised for another 10 years. On 10 December 2013, Commander Catherine Jordan RN took command of the ship.

The refit was a mid-life upgrade, modernizing the ship for the following ten years – it cost £25million and was completed on time in spring 2014. It fitted her with the all-electric 'Kryten' 4.5" Mod1 gun and the mid-life upgrade to her Sea Wolf missile system together with a wide range of more detailed improvements. A new crew was then assembled and the ship undertook an extended period of trials developing her military capability and testing her systems integration. During the trials the ship visited Plymouth and Falmouth.

Passing the Material Assessment and Safety Check on 3 November 2014, St Albans was relaunched on 1 August 2014, before rejoining the fleet. In December 2014 St Albans visited London, mooring alongside HMS Belfast (C35) in the Pool of London, and then sailed across the North Sea and down the Nieuwe Maas to visit Rotterdam.

Still based in Portsmouth, she continued trials in the Western English Channel and then visited Trondheim in Norway and continued live firing trials. After completing her extensive Flag Officer Sea Training trails, based at Plymouth, she entered West India Dock, London on 7 July 2015 and then sailed back to Portsmouth. She arrived on 16 July 2015 and became the Guard ship for the Portsmouth America's Cup races later that month. St Albans sailed for a nine-month mission to the Middle East on 27 November 2015, carrying a Merlin HM2 and ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Whilst crossing the Mediterranean she was involved with the seizure of 320 kg of cocaine with a street value of more than £1 million. On 11 January 2016, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon announced that "HMS St Albans will shortly join the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier group" as part of operations against the Islamic State group. She arrived back in Portsmouth on 5 August 2016.

In January 2017 she escorted the RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Admiral Kuznetsov along the English Channel on the latter's return voyage from Syria to Kola Bay.

During February 2017 she conducted the Submarine Command Course off the Norwegian Coast and was then awarded the Fleet Effectiveness Flag. She then went into dry dock 'C' in Portsmouth for most of July 2017. Whilst in dry dock, the band of the Royal Yeomanry played under the keel. She returned to service on 29 August 2017 and was operational north of Scotland where she was "man marking" the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. From 23 to 25 December, she escorted the RUSSIAN FRIGATE Admiral Gorshkov which was conducting sea trials in the North Sea close to UK waters.

It was reported in November 2018 that she took part in anti-submarine warfare exercises with HMS Astute (S119). St Albans entered refit in Devonport in July 2019, led by Babcock defence firm. Her refit required around 1.2 million working hours and involved replacing all four diesel engines, installing LED lighting, adapting the ship for the future anti-surface guided weapon system Sea Venom, replacing the original Sea Wolf air defence system with Sea Ceptor, upgrading the ships sensors with the new Type 997 Artisan air-search radar and fitting the submarine-hunting Type 2150 sonar in place of 2050. St Albans became the Royal Navy's most advanced frigate, thanks to those improvements. The vessel returned to sea for trials in March 2024.

Affiliations
Duke-class frigates take their names from British dukedoms and HMS St Albans is named after the Dukes of St Albans, among whose descendants is the seventh and present Marqués de Valero de Urría, William Beauclerk, who formerly served as a lieutenant on HMY Britannia.

HMS St Albans' affiliations include:
 * City of St Albans
 * Worshipful Company of Haberdashers
 * Worshipful Company of Marketors
 * 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment
 * Royal Naval Reserve
 * RAF Marham
 * Haileybury CCF
 * Ryde School CCF
 * 1st Luton Sea Scouts
 * Hertfordshire Sea Cadets.

title: HMS St Albans (F83)


text:
User talk:Rkleckner

Hello, welcome to Wikipedia. Here are some useful links in case you haven't already found them:

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If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my talk page. I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian!

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title: User talk:Rkleckner


text:
HMS Broadsword (F88)

HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.

Construction
Broadsword was ordered from Yarrow Shipbuilders on 8 February 1974 and was laid down at Yarrow's Scotstoun shipyard on 7 February 1975. She was launched on 12 May 1976 and commissioned on 3 May 1979.

Royal Navy service
While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race. Broadsword took part in the 1982 Falklands War. On 25 May 1982, she was paired with HMS Coventry to draw Argentine aircraft away from the landings at San Carlos. If Coventry 's long range Sea Dart missiles missed, then Broadsword's shorter range Sea Wolf missile system could engage aircraft (and missiles). Two pairs of Argentine aircraft attacked the ships at low level. Coventry was not able to achieve a missile lock on the first pair and Broadsword 's Sea Wolf system shut down. Broadsword was hit by one bomb from the first pair, which bounced up through the helicopter deck, hitting the Westland Lynx helicopter, before exiting and exploding harmlessly. The other pair of aircraft targeted Coventry which made a turn to reduce her profile—this took her into the line of fire of Broadsword 's Sea Wolf system, preventing Broadsword from firing on the aircraft. Bombs from the two Argentine Douglas A-4 Skyhawks damaged and sunk the Coventry. Broadsword subsequently rescued 170 of the sunken Coventry's crew.

She shot down one IAI Dagger of FAA Grupo 6 and shared an Douglas A-4C Skyhawk kill with HMS Antelope's SeaCat, land-based Rapiers and Blowpipe surface to air missiles.

Captain G W R Biggs commanded Broadsword between 10 April 1985 and 15 May 1986 and Commander M W G Kerr who commanded between 27 July 1988 and 18 May 1990 both subsequently became flag officers.

In 1993 Broadsword took part in the naval operation in support of Operation Grapple (Yugoslavia), in the Adriatic Sea. Upon completion on 8 July 1993, a fire broke out in the aft auxiliary machinery room which resulted in the deaths of two on-watch engineers.

By July 1994, HMS Broadsword was serving as the West Indies Guard Ship until she returned to the United Kingdom in March 1995 for decommissioning.

Brazilian service
In November 1994, Broadsword was sold to Brazil alongside her sisters HMS Brazen, HMS Brilliant, and HMS Battleaxe for £116,000,000. She was official decommissioned from Royal Navy service on 31 March 1995 and entered the Brazilian Navy on 30 June 1995 as Greenhalgh.

Greenhalgh was the first Brazilian navy ship to integrate in a U.S. strike group in July 2008 during a Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPUTEX) led by USS Iwo Jima.

On 10 August 2021, Greenhalgh was decommissioned from Brazilian service.

title: HMS Broadsword (F88)


text:
HMS Battleaxe (F89)

HMS Battleaxe was a Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was sold to the Brazilian Navy on 30 April 1997 and renamed Rademaker.

Construction and design
Battleaxe was ordered by the British Admiralty on 4 September 1974, as the second Batch I Type 22 Frigate. The ship was laid down at Yarrow Shipbuilders' Scotstoun shipyard on 4 February 1976, and was launched by Audrey Callaghan, the wife of James Callaghan, the Prime Minister at the time, on 18 May 1977. Battleaxe was completed on 28 March 1980.

Battleaxe was 131.2 m long overall and 125.7 m at the waterline, with a beam of 14.8 m and a draught of 6.1 m. Displacement was 4000 LT standard and 4400 LT deep load. She was powered by two Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines rated at a total of 54600 shp and two Rolls-Royce Tyne R1MC turbines rated at a total of 9700 shp, driving two shafts in a Combined gas or gas (COGOG) arrangement. They gave a speed of 30 kn when powered by the Olympuses and 18 kn when powered by the Tynes. The ship had a range of 4500 nmi at 18 kn.

Anti-aircraft armament consisted of two sextuple Sea Wolf surface-to-air missile launchers, one forward of the bridge, and one on the roof of the helicopter hangar. Four Exocet MM-38 anti-ship missiles were fitted on the forecastle. Gun armament was limited to a pair of 40 mm Bofors guns, mainly for peacetime patrol duties. A hangar and flight deck was fitted aft, allowing the ship to operate two Westland Lynx helicopters, which could carry anti-submarine torpedoes, while close-in anti-submarine armament was two triple STWS-1 324 mm torpedo tubes.

Royal Navy
Battleaxe was at Gibraltar on 24 March 1982, as part of Exercise "Springtrain 82", but when the Falklands War broke out in April that year, she, unlike sister ships HMS Broadsword (F88) and HMS Brilliant (F90), did not deploy to the South Atlantic as she was suffering from problems with her propeller shafts. Battleaxe did deploy to the South Atlantic shortly after the end of the war, however, escorting the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (R06), leaving Devonport on 2 August, reaching the vicinity of the Falklands on 24 August and returning to Britain on 19 November. She was deployed to the South Atlantic again from July 1983 to December 1983. On 2 July 1988, Battleaxe rescued the stricken sailors from the yacht Dalriada, which had sunk after colliding with the submarine HMS Conqueror (S48)'s periscope.

Battleaxe was deployed on the Armilla patrol, the Royal Navy's standing deployment in the Persian Gulf in August 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. She returned to Plymouth in November 1990.

Brazil
Rademaker was involved in an unfortunate incident on 29 November 2004, during the annual FRATERNO naval exercise with ships of the Argentinian Navy. While conducting gunnery practice against target drones, a malfunction of the Argentinian frigate ARA Sarandí's automatic weapons system caused her to fire on Rademaker; four Brazilian crewmen were injured together with an Argentine naval observer. The ship suffered moderate damage.

Also in 2004, Rademaker deployed to Port-au-Prince, as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

In April 2017, Rademaker was involved in the search for the missing bulk carrier Stellar Daisy after she disappeared in the Atlantic.

Rademaker joined the international efforts to locate the missing Argentine submarine ARA San Juan in November 2017.

title: HMS Battleaxe (F89)