HMS Edinburgh (D97)

Last updated

HMS Edinburgh Falklands.jpg
HMS Edinburgh on patrol near the Falkland Islands.
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Edinburgh
Builder Cammell Laird
Laid down8 September 1980
Launched14 April 1983
Sponsored byAnn Heseltine; wife of Michael Heseltine
Commissioned17 December 1985
Decommissioned6 June 2013
Homeport HMNB Portsmouth
Identification
Nickname(s)"Fortress of the Sea" [2]
FateScrapped
Badge
  • On a Field White, upon a mount of rock in base Proper, a castle, triple turreted, mason White. The flags, windows and portcullis Red.
  • HMS Edinburgh badge.jpg
General characteristics
Class and type Type 42 destroyer
Displacement5,200 tonnes
Length141 m (463 ft)
Beam15.2 m (50 ft)
Propulsion
  • COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) turbines, 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus, 2 x Tyne, 2 shafts
  • 2 turbines producing 36 MW (48,000 hp)
Speed34 kn (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Complement269 [3]
Armament
Aircraft carried
  • Lynx Mk 8 SRU armed with:
    • 3 × anti ship missiles
    • 2 × anti submarine torpedoes

HMS Edinburgh was a Type 42 (Batch 3) destroyer of the Royal Navy. Edinburgh was built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead. She was launched on 14 April 1983 and commissioned on 17 December 1985. The largest of the Type 42 destroyers, Edinburgh was known as the "Fortress of the Sea". Edinburgh was the last of the Type 42 destroyer to serve in the Royal Navy and was decommissioned on 6 June 2013. [4] [5]

Contents

Distinctive appearance

Edinburgh's distinctive forecastle Desk D97OB002.jpeg
Edinburgh's distinctive forecastle

Edinburgh was readily distinguished by her distinctively different forecastle. When it was decided to fit the Phalanx CIWS to this class of warships, it was intended that Edinburgh should carry a single CIWS unit, mounted forward between her 4.5-inch gun and the Sea Dart launcher. To this end, her breakwaters were enlarged and she was fitted with a raised bulwark, very like those carried on the Type 22 frigates.

This location proved to be an unsuitably wet one for the Phalanx system despite the modifications to this warship, and Edinburgh was later fitted with a pair of wing-mounted CIWS as carried by the other ships of the class, but she retained her distinctive bulwark and enlarged breakwaters.

Operations

1990-2001

In 1990, Edinburgh completed a refit, which included the fitting of the Phalanx Close-in weapon system (CIWS). In 1994, Edinburgh was present at a Fleet Review to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day landings in 1944. In 1998, Edinburgh deployed to the South Atlantic, where she patrolled the waters around the Falkland Islands, as well as making 'fly-the-flag' visits to various South American ports.

2002-2010

Edinburgh, Portsmouth, 2004. HMS Edinburgh.JPG
Edinburgh, Portsmouth, 2004.
Edinburgh Cape Town, 2006. The Fortress of the Sea, HMS Edinburgh at Cape Town Docks (300195952).jpg
Edinburgh Cape Town, 2006.
Edinburgh at Mahon, Minorca, July 2008. HMS Edinburgh Mahon.jpg
Edinburgh at Mahon, Minorca, July 2008.

On 27 September 2002, Edinburgh sailed into the River Mersey to escort the yachts at the end of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. [6]

In January 2003, Edinburgh deployed to the Persian Gulf and subsequently took part in the Second Gulf War against the dictator Saddam Hussein. While there, Edinburgh performed a variety of tasks, which included supporting the Royal Marines ashore, as well as being escort to the helicopter carrier Ocean. She returned to her home base at Portsmouth in May. In April 2004, Edinburgh deployed to the Mediterranean, where she first joined Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED), and while there she took part in Operation Active Endeavour, designed to monitor sea lanes as part of the war on terror.

On her return to the UK, Edinburgh went into an extensive refit in Rosyth. She left Rosyth in September 2005 to conduct trials to ensure that she was materially up to operational standard before conducting operational sea training in the New Year. Edinburgh then took part in Exercise Neptune Warrior off the coast of Scotland; conducted a High Seas Firing of her Sea Dart missile system and then took part in the multi-national BALTOPS exercise in the Baltic Sea. The time in the Baltic included visits to Sweden, Germany and Estonia. During the visit to Estonia, Edinburgh took part in the naval parade celebrating an Estonian national holiday.

In autumn 2006 Edinburgh deployed to the Falkland Islands remaining there until June 2007. The extended nature of the deployment was made possible by the "Sea Swap" trial, an initiative to try and extend operational deployments by keeping the ship in theater and swapping crews; in this case the crews of HMS EXETER and EDINBURGH. The swap was completed in March and while not an unqualified success, it did achieve the object of the trial in keeping a ship on station for a longer period of time. EDINBURGH was the center piece for the 25th anniversary celebration of the liberation of the Falkland Islands in June 2007 and she finally returned home to Portsmouth in August 2007 via, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleze in Brazil and Tenerife. The crews of both ships then "unswapped" in September 2007.

Edinburgh was deployed to the Middle and Far East from February until late July 2008 as part of Orion 2008, including a visit to Singapore and operations in the Gulf, during which she took part in an interception of a drugs cargo.[ citation needed ]

2010 refit

Edinburgh became the last Type 42 destroyer to undergo a refit when she entered dry dock on 25 January 2010 at BAE Systems Surface Ships shipyard in Portsmouth Naval Base for work to keep the ship in service until 2013. [7] [ failed verification ]

Under a £17.5 million contract, the company refurbished the destroyer's weapons and communications systems, added a transom flap to the stern and applied a coat of International Paint's Intersleek 900 foul-release paint. The refit included a renewal of crew living quarters, catering facilities and laundry equipment. Edinburgh's four Rolls-Royce gas turbine engines were removed; with two being replaced by new units (starboard Olympus TM3B and port Tyne RM1C). In a company statement on 18 January 2010, BAE Systems said that the modifications would cut fuel consumption by 15 per cent.

Edinburgh emerged from refit in September 2010 to undergo sea trials that include testing the ship's propulsion machinery, radar and communication equipment, as well as her ability to conduct flying operations. Edinburgh's signatures were assessed for radar cross section, heat, magnetic and acoustics before trials culminating in live firings of medium and close range weapons. [8] The ship was formally accepted back into the fleet in late October 2010, followed by a rededication ceremony in early November.[ citation needed ]

2011-2013

HMS Edinburgh being towed under Tower Bridge on a visit to London just prior to decommissioning. HMS Edinburgh Passes Under Tower Bridge, London MOD 45155420.jpg
HMS Edinburgh being towed under Tower Bridge on a visit to London just prior to decommissioning.
HMS Edinburgh with HMS Defender (D36) and HMS Duncan (D37) at Portsmouth, 1 June 2013 HMS Edinburgh at Portsmouth, 1st June 2013.jpg
HMS Edinburgh with HMS Defender (D36) and HMS Duncan (D37) at Portsmouth, 1 June 2013

In April 2011 Edinburgh successfully completed Sea-Dart missile firing trials. [9] May 2011 saw the ship begin an eight-month deployment visiting the Cape Verde and Falkland Islands. [2] On 13 April 2012 Edinburgh fired the last ever operational Sea Dart missiles after a thirty-year career. The last two remaining Type 42s, York and Edinburgh completed their careers without the system being operational. [10]

On 7 May 2013 Edinburgh arrived in the Pool of London, at the start of a farewell tour of Great Britain. [11] She called at Edinburgh from 15 to 21 May, followed by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, where she was built. [12] Her final call on the tour was Lyme Regis on 29 May, [13] prior to sailing for Portsmouth for decommissioning. She arrived in Portsmouth on 31 May [14] and was open to the public there on 1 and 2 June. [15] She was decommissioned on 6 June. [16]

Fate

In May 2013 a campaign was launched to bring Edinburgh to the Port of Leith and convert her into a museum. [17] However this was not successful and Edinburgh departed Portsmouth on 12 August 2015 under tow to be dismantled in Turkey.

Affiliations

Related Research Articles

<i>Invincible</i>-class aircraft carrier Royal Navy aircraft carrier class

The Invincible class was a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed: HMS Invincible, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked Sea Harrier aircraft and Sea King HAS.1 anti-submarine helicopters. With cancellation of the aircraft carriers renewal programme in the 1960s, the three ships became the replacements for Ark Royal and Eagle fleet carriers and the Centaur-class light fleet carriers, and the Royal Navy's sole class of aircraft carrier.

HMS <i>Invincible</i> (R05) 1980 Invincible-class light aircraft carrier

HMS Invincible was the Royal Navy's lead ship of her class of three light aircraft carriers. She was launched on 3 May 1977 as the seventh ship to carry the name. She was originally designated as an anti-submarine warfare carrier, but was used as an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, when she was deployed with HMS Hermes. She took over as flagship of the British fleet when Hermes was sold to India. Invincible was also deployed in the Yugoslav Wars and the Iraq War. During the Falklands Conflict, Argentinian media reported Invincible as sunk on several occasions. In 2005, she was decommissioned, and was eventually sold for scrap in February 2011.

HMS <i>Illustrious</i> (R06) 1982 Invincible-class light aircraft carrier

HMS Illustrious was a light aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy and the second of three Invincible-class ships constructed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She was the fifth warship and second aircraft carrier to bear the name Illustrious, and was affectionately known to her crew as "Lusty". In 1982, the conflict in the Falklands necessitated that Illustrious be completed and rushed south to join her sister ship HMS Invincible and the veteran carrier HMS Hermes. To this end, she was brought forward by three months for completion at Swan Hunter Shipyard, then commissioned on 20 June 1982 at sea en route to Portsmouth Dockyard to take on board extra stores and crew. She arrived in the Falklands to relieve Invincible on 28 August 1982 in a steam past. Returning to the United Kingdom, she was not formally commissioned into the fleet until 20 March 1983. After her South Atlantic deployment, she was deployed on Operation Southern Watch in Iraq, then Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia during the 1990s and Operation Palliser in Sierra Leone in 2000. An extensive re-fit during 2002 prevented her from involvement in the 2003 Iraq War, but she was returned to service in time to assist British citizens trapped by the 2006 Lebanon War.

HMS <i>Liverpool</i> (D92) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Liverpool was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead and launched on 25 September 1980 by Lady Strathcona, wife of Euan Howard, the then Minister of State for Defence. Liverpool was the last Type 42 Batch 2 in service.

HMS <i>Cardiff</i> (D108) Type 42 destroyer

HMS Cardiff was a British Type 42 destroyer and the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff.

HMS <i>Richmond</i> (F239) 1995 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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.

HMS <i>Birmingham</i> (D86) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Birmingham was a Type 42 destroyer laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 28 March 1972, launched on 30 July 1973 by Lady Empson, wife of Sir Derek Empson and commissioned on 3 December 1976. She was named for the city of Birmingham, England.

HMS <i>Glasgow</i> (D88) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Glasgow was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. The last of the Batch 1 Type 42 destroyers, Glasgow was commissioned in 1979. The destroyer fought during the Falklands War, and on 12 May 1982 was damaged by a bomb from an Argentine A-4 Skyhawk. Glasgow was part of the Royal Navy’s 3rd Destroyer Squadron along with HMS York, HMS Edinburgh and HMS Liverpool. The 3rd Destroyer Squadron was based in Rosyth during the 1980s and early 1990s before being moved to Portsmouth when Rosyth Dockyard was privatised and re-purposed. The destroyer was decommissioned in 2005 and was broken up for scrap in 2009.

HMS <i>Exeter</i> (D89) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Exeter was a Type 42 destroyer, the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to be named Exeter, after the city of Exeter in Devon. The vessel fought in the Falklands War and the first Gulf War, she was scrapped in 2011.

HMS Gloucester was a Batch 3 Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy, built by Vosper Thorneycroft at Woolston, Southampton and launched on 2 November 1982 by The Duchess of Gloucester. Gloucester was one of the modified last four of the class to be built, having a lengthened hull design giving better seakeeping qualities, greater endurance and an external 'strake' to counter longitudinal cracking, seen on earlier ships of the type. The flight deck recognition letters worn by Gloucester were GC, and her international callsign was GBBF.

HMS <i>Bristol</i> (D23) 1973 Type 82 destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Bristol (D23) was a Type 82 destroyer, the only vessel of her class to be built for the Royal Navy. Bristol was intended to be the first of a class of large destroyers to escort the CVA-01 aircraft carriers projected to come into service in the early 1970s but the rest of the class and the CVA-01 carriers were cancelled as a result of the 1966 Defence White Paper which cut defence spending.

HMS <i>Fearless</i> (L10) Royal Navy ship that served from 1965 until 2002

HMS Fearless (L10) was a Royal Navy amphibious assault ship that served from 1965 until 2002. One of two Fearless-class landing platform docks, she was based in HMNB Portsmouth and saw service around the world over her 37-year life. She was the last steam-powered surface ship in the Royal Navy.

Type 82 destroyer Class of eight Royal Navy warships

The Type 82 or Bristol-class destroyer was a 1960s guided missile destroyer design intended to replace County-class destroyers in the Royal Navy. Originally eight warships were planned to provide area air-defence for the four planned CVA-01 aircraft carriers. They would also have been able to operate independently as modern cruisers "East of Suez".

HMS <i>Daring</i> (D32) 2009 Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Daring is the lead ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy, and the seventh ship to hold that name. She was launched in 2006 on the Clyde and conducted contractor's sea trials during 2007 and 2008. She was handed over to the Royal Navy in December 2008, entered her base port of Portsmouth for the first time in January 2009 and was formally commissioned on 23 July 2009. As the lead ship of the first destroyer class built for the Royal Navy since the Type 42 in the 1970s, she has attracted significant media and public attention. Her name, crest and motto are a reference to the Roman youth Gaius Mucius Scaevola, famed for his bravery.

HMS <i>Dauntless</i> (D33) 2010 Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Dauntless is the second ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the British Royal Navy. She was launched at Govan in January 2007, was handed over to the Royal Navy on 3 December 2009 and was formally commissioned on 3 June 2010.

HMS <i>Diamond</i> (D34) Royal Navy destroyer

HMS Diamond is the third ship of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence guided missile destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in 2007, and completed her contractor's sea trials and arrived at her base port in 2010. Diamond formally entered service in 2011.

HMS <i>Defender</i> (D36) 2013 Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Defender is the fifth of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She is the eighth ship to bear the name. Construction of Defender began in 2006, and she was launched in 2009. The ship completed her first sea trials in October and November 2011, and was commissioned during March 2013.

HMS <i>Duncan</i> (D37) 2013 Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Duncan is the sixth and last of the Type 45 or Daring-class air-defence destroyers built for the Royal Navy and launched in 2010. Duncan is named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan, who defeated the Dutch fleet at the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797. The destroyer has served in the Mediterranean, Black, and Caribbean Seas, and in 2019 was deployed to the Persian Gulf in response to increased tensions with Iran in the region. In May 2024, she deployed to the Red Sea to protect international shipping from the ongoing Houthi attacks.

HMS <i>York</i> (D98) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS York was a Batch III Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Launched on 20 June 1982 at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear and sponsored by Lady Gosling, York was the last Type 42 ordered. The ship's crest was the White Rose of York, and the "red cross with lions passant" funnel badge was derived from the coat of arms of the City of York. With a maximum speed of 34 knots, she was the Royal Navy's fastest destroyer.

HMS <i>Medway</i> (P223) 2019 River-class offshore patrol vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Medway is a Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel for the Royal Navy. Named after the River Medway in Kent, she was the second Batch 2 River-class vessel to be commissioned and is assigned long-term as Royal Navy guardship in the Caribbean.

References

  1. ↑ "Royal Navy Bridge Card, February 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Royal Navy investigating death of female officer on ship". BBC News. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Royal Navy (11 July 2013). A Global Force 2012/13 (PDF). Newsdesk Media. ISBN   978-1-906940-75-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2018. Complement as of 24 April 2013
  4. ↑ "Royal Navy's HMS York makes final Portsmouth return". BBC News. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "End of an era as HMS Edinburgh returns from Atlantic deployment". Royal Navy. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  6. ↑ "Clipper returns". BBC Liverpool. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh enters final refit" . Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  8. ↑ "Fortress of the Sea returns to the waves". Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  9. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh Finishes with a Bang". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh Fires Final Sea Dart Missiles". Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "Warships in London for Battle of Atlantic commemorations". Government of the United Kingdom. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  12. ↑ "Sailors say goodbye to HMS Edinburgh". Edinburgh News. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh warship pays a surprise visit to Lyme Regis". Bridport News. 30 May 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh in final return to Portsmouth". BBC News. 31 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "HMS Edinburgh opens to public for final time in Portsmouth | Royal Navy". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "End of an era as HMS Edinburgh returns". Royal Navy. 29 May 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  17. ↑ Morrison, Dawn (1 June 2013). "HMS Edinburgh museum petition launched". Edinburgh News. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.