HMS Nottingham (D91)

Last updated

The British Royal Navy, Type 42 Class Destroyer, HMS NOTTINGHAM (D91), steaming in the Persian Gulf (330-CFD-DN-SD-01-04933).jpg
HMS Nottingham in 1998
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS Nottingham
Ordered1 March 1977
Builder Vosper Thorneycroft, Woolston yard
Laid down6 February 1978
Launched18 February 1980
Sponsored byLady Leach (wife of the then First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Henry Leach)
Commissioned14 April 1983
Decommissioned11 February 2010
Homeport HMNB Portsmouth, Hampshire
Identification
MottoFoy pour devoir (French: "Faith for Duty")
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and type Type 42 destroyer
Displacement4,820 tonnes
Length125 m (410 ft)
Beam14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught5.8 m (19 ft)
Propulsion
Speed30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement271 (27 officers, 71 senior rates, 173 junior rates)
Armament
Aircraft carried Westland Lynx HMA8

HMS Nottingham was a batch two Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the city of Nottingham, England. She was launched on 18 February 1980, and commissioned on 8 April 1983 as the sixth warship to bear the name.

Contents

Her commanding officer at commissioning was Commander Nigel Essenhigh (in his first major command role) who went on to become First Sea Lord.

On her first cruise to Oporto, Portugal and then Gibraltar the destroyer lost two sailors to a drowning incident while on shore leave visiting a beach in Oporto.

In November 2000, Nottingham completed a major refit, which was intended to extend her operational life to 2012, although she was later placed in reserve and decommissioned on 11 February 2010. [1] [2]

Service history

2002 grounding

HMS Nottingham at sea HMS Nottingham, Type 42 Destroyer MOD 45147651.jpg
HMS Nottingham at sea

On 7 July 2002, Nottingham ran aground on the submerged but well-charted Wolf Rock near Lord Howe Island, 370 miles (600 km) off the coast of Australia causing £26 million worth of damage. [3] A 160-foot (49 m) hole was torn down the side of the vessel from bow to bridge, flooding five of her compartments and nearly causing her to sink. HMNZS Te Mana and HMNZS Endeavour provided relief for the crew for approximately 2–3 weeks.

The accident happened in poor weather [4] after a set of manoeuvres to allow a sailor with an emergency medical condition to be evacuated to Lord Howe Island. The captain, Commander Richard Farrington, had been ashore having dinner with the island's marine services manager thanking him for the assistance rendered to his crewman. Farrington had just returned and at the time of the incident the Executive Officer (XO), Lt Commander John Lea, was in-charge of the vessel. [5] Nottingham ran aground on Wolf Rock owing to a navigational error and the vessel immediately went into damage control mode. Commander Farrington returned to the bridge whereby he took command and controlled the breached compartments. [6]

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) salvage department (SALMO) was contacted and assisted with logistics through local marine expert Graeme Mackenzie. The SALMO team, assisted by Nottingham's crew, stabilized her at sea making her ready for the journey into Newcastle.

On 6 August, Nottingham set out on her journey to the port of Newcastle, north of Sydney, towed stern-first because of the damage to her bow. [7] In Newcastle, her Sea Dart missiles were removed and further repairs were carried out. Royal Navy personnel, Operations Manager Mr Graeme Mackenzie, RN Commander Anthony Holberry and SALMO Mr James Ward took charge of the shore-side recovery programme without incident. [8]

Wolf Rock - East of Lord Howe Island (white foam patch near centre of the photo) Wolf Rock Lord Howe Island.jpg
Wolf Rock - East of Lord Howe Island (white foam patch near centre of the photo)

It was not clear whether it was economic to repair her, but Nottingham had recently undergone major modifications to her radar and other electronics, and it was determined that it would be less expensive to return her to the UK and repair her than to bring another Type 42 destroyer up to her new specification.

After arriving in Sydney on 15 October, the damaged ship was lifted on board the heavy lifting vessel MV Swan and welded to her deck for transport. On 28 October, Nottingham left Sydney harbour on board MV Swan for the journey back to the UK. By 9 December, she had arrived at Portsmouth Harbour for repairs at Fleet Support Limited. The destroyer Glasgow was temporarily reactivated to cover for Nottingham while she was being repaired.

On 7 July 2003, the anniversary of the collision, Nottingham was refloated. In April 2004 she sailed again following the £39m repair and refit. The ship returned to duty in July 2004. [9]

On 23 August 2004, Nottingham met SAS Mendi, a Valour-class frigate of the South African Navy at the site where the troopship SS Mendi was sunk during the First World War. The crew laid wreaths in remembrance to those who died in service for their country.

Disposal

In April 2008, she was placed in a state of "extended readiness" at Portsmouth. With her crew dispersed, she did not sail again before being decommissioned on 11 February 2010. [2] She was put up for auction on 28 March 2011, [10] which resulted in her sale for scrap to Leyal Ship Recycling. She was towed out of Portsmouth en route to Turkey on 19 October 2011. [11]

Affiliations

Related Research Articles

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>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>Glasgow</i> (C21) Town-class cruiser

HMS Glasgow was a Town-class cruiser commissioned in September 1937. She took part in the Fleet Air Arm raid that crippled the Italian Fleet at Taranto in 1940. She had the unfortunate experience of sinking two Allied ships during her wartime service, once through accidental collision and the other by gunfire after a case of mistaken identity.

HMS <i>Invincible</i> (1869)

HMS Invincible was a Royal Navy Audacious-class ironclad battleship. She was built at the Napier shipyard and completed in 1870. Completed just 10 years after HMS Warrior, she still carried sails as well as a steam engine.

HMNZS <i>Leander</i> Leander-Class cruiser

HMNZS Leander was a light cruiser which served with the Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II. She was the lead ship of a class of light ships, the Leander-class light cruiser and was initially named HMS Leander.

HMS <i>Cavalier</i> (R73) C-class destroyer

HMS Cavalier is a retired C-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by J. Samuel White and Company at East Cowes on 28 March 1943, launched on 7 April 1944, and commissioned on 22 November 1944. She served in World War II and in various commissions in the Far East until she was decommissioned in 1972. After decommissioning she was preserved as a museum ship and currently resides at Chatham Historic Dockyard.

HMS <i>Nubian</i> (1909) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Nubian was a Royal Navy Tribal-class destroyer. She was launched in 1909 and torpedoed in 1916. With her bow blown off, the wreck was used to create a new ship by joining the bow of another destroyer of the same class, HMS Zulu. The resulting ship was given the portmanteau name HMS Zubian. She went on to sink the U-boat SM UC-50 in 1918 and was scrapped in 1919.

HMS <i>Adventure</i> (M23) Minelaying cruiser of the Royal Navy

HMS Adventure, pennant number M23, was an Adventure-class minelaying cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the 1920s that saw service during the Second World War. Her commander between 1928 and 1929 was the future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham. Laid down at Devonport in November 1922 and launched in June 1924, Adventure was the first vessel built for service as a minelayer; she was also the first warship to use diesel engines, which were used for cruising. Adventure first joined the Atlantic Fleet, then was transferred to the China Station in 1935. In World War II, the ship was damaged in 1941 and 1944, and was converted to a landing craft repair in 1944. In 1945 Adventure was reduced to reserve and in 1947 she was sold and broken up for scrap.

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>Cattistock</i> (M31) 1982 Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy

HMS Cattistock, the third ship of this name, is a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1981 and commissioned on 5 March 1982, the third ship of her class.

HMS <i>Wizard</i> (R72) W-class destroyer converted to Type 15 frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Wizard was a W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service during World War II.

HMS <i>Universal</i> Submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Universal (P57) was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Newcastle upon Tyne. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Universal.

HMS <i>Jason</i> (J99) Minesweeper of the Royal Navy

HMS Jason was a Halcyon-class minesweeper. She was named after the hero in Greek mythology and was the sixteenth Royal Navy ship to carry the name Jason. She was laid down on 12 December 1936, launched on 6 October 1937, and was completed on 9 June 1938. She survived the Second World War and was sold in 1946 to become a cargo ship. She was eventually broken up in 1950. Her pennant number was originally N99, but was changed to J99 in May 1940.

HMS <i>Porcupine</i> (G93)

HMS Porcupine was a P-class destroyer built by Vickers Armstrong on the River Tyne. She was ordered on 20 October 1939, laid down on 26 December 1939 and launched on 10 June 1941. She was commissioned on 31 August 1942, but had a relatively short active career. She was torpedoed in 1942 but salvaged and not finally broken up until 1947.

HMS <i>Sabre</i> (H18) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Sabre was an Admiralty S-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched in September 1918 at the close of World War I. She was built in Scotland by Alex Stephens and completed by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Govan. Commissioned for Fleet service in 1919, she was the first Royal Navy ship to carry this name.

HMS <i>Wivern</i> (D66) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

The second HMS Wivern, was a Modified W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II.

HMS <i>Recruit</i> (1896) Royal Navy 30-knot destroyer

HMS Recruit was a Clydebank three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1895–1896 Naval Estimates. She was the fifth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1806 for an 18-gun brig-sloop, sold in 1822.

HMS <i>Worcester</i> (D96) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

The eighth HMS Worcester, was a Modified W-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy that saw service in World War II. She later served as an accommodation ship as the second HMS Yeoman.

HMS <i>Falcon</i> (1899) Gipsy-class destroyer

HMS Falcon was a Fairfield three-funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1898 – 1899 Naval Estimates. She spent her life in Home waters, was part of the Dover Patrol during World War I and was lost in a collision on 1 April 1918.

HMS <i>Limbourne</i> (L57) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Limbourne (L57) was a Hunt-class escort destroyer, operated by the Royal Navy. She was sunk in action, off German-occupied Guernsey, on 23 October 1943.

References

  1. ↑ "Final date is set for HMS Nottingham". Portsmouth News. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "HMS Nottingham Bows Out". royal-navy.mod.uk. 11 February 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  3. ↑ Jeffery, Simon (12 September 2003). "Officers court martialled for grounding destroyer". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Inquiry into warship accident". BBC News. 8 July 2002. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Payne, Stewart (12 September 2003). "Shipwrecked destroyer's officers punished". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Judd, Terri (12 September 2003). "Commander supped tea as his destroyer headed for catastrophe". The Independent. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  7. ↑ Berger, Sebastien (7 August 2002). "Humiliated Nottingham towed away". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "Board of Inquiry Report into the grounding of HMS Nottingham at Wolf Rock, Lord Howe Island, Australia on 7 July 2002" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.com. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Warship at sea after £39m repairs". BBC News. 24 April 2004. Archived from the original on 21 June 2004. Retrieved 24 April 2004.
  10. ↑ "Carrier HMS Ark Royal put up for auction on MoD website". BBC News. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  11. ↑ "Farewell Nottingham". The News. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
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.