HMS Portland (F79)

Last updated

HMS Portland Sails Near Huge Glacier in South Georgia MOD 45151714.jpg
HMS Portland, 2010
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
NamePortland
Operator Royal Navy
OrderedFebruary 1996
Builder Marconi Marine, Clyde
Laid down14 January 1998
Launched15 May 1999
Sponsored byLady Brigstocke
Commissioned3 May 2001
RefitLIFEX 2018 - 2021
Homeport HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Identification
Motto
  • Craignez Honte
  • "Fear Dishonour"
StatusIn active service
Badge HMS Portland badge.svg
General characteristics
Class and type Type 23 Frigate
Displacement4,900 t (4,800 long tons; 5,400 short tons) [1]
Length133 m (436 ft 4 in)
Beam16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
SpeedIn excess of 28  kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range7,500 nautical miles (14,000 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement185 (accommodation for up to 205)
Sensors and
processing systems		 Sonar 2087
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried
  • 1 × Wildcat HMA2, armed with:
    • 4 × Sea Venom anti-ship missiles (full operating capability projected from 2026), [9] or,
    • 2 × Sting Ray anti-submarine torpedoes, or
    • 20 × Martlet multirole air-surface missiles (from 2021)
    • Mk 11 depth charges
  • or
  • 1 × Westland Merlin HM2, armed with;
  • 4 × anti submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities

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.

Contents

Operational history

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. [10]

During sea trials Portland attained a top speed of 30.8 knots (57.0 km/h), the fastest speed attained by any Type 23 frigate at that time. [11]

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. [12]

Portland assisted in the search for men lost from a capsized yacht on 3 February 2007. [13]

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. [14]

In April 2008, Portland visited Liverpool with HMS Mersey and berthed at the cruise liner terminal at Prince's Dock. [15]

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. [16]

In late April 2010, Portland relieved HMS York on the Atlantic Patrol Task (South). [17]

2011–2021

Commander Sarah West in 2013 HMS Portland crew parade (Commander Sarah West cropped).jpg
Commander Sarah West in 2013

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. [18] 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, [19] but was relieved of command in July 2014 following an alleged affair with one of the ship's officers. [20]

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. [21]

In August 2013, she was announced as the Fleet Ready Escort for the next two months. [22] She participated in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013. [23]

On 2 August 2014, she completed the 7-month task of the Atlantic Patrol ship. [24]

On 20 June 2016, Portland departed Devonport for a nine-month patrol covering the Middle East and the South Atlantic Ocean. [25] 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 [26]

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. [27]

2022–present

In 2022, Portland spent 152 days at sea. [28]

In 2023, Portland and USS Porter were present at Halifax's fleet week, making it the city's first international fleet week. [29] [30]

From February 2024, Portland participated in Steadfast Defender 2024 as part of the UK Carrier Strike Group. [31]

Affiliations

Related Research Articles

Type 23 frigate Class of frigates built for the Royal Navy

The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, HMS Norfolk, was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, HMS St Albans was commissioned in June 2002. They form the core of the Royal Navy's destroyer and frigate fleet and serve alongside the Type 45 destroyers. They were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but have been used for a range of uses. Ten Type 23 frigates remain in service with the Royal Navy, with three vessels having been sold to the Chilean Navy, one being retired in 2021, and two being retired in 2023.

HMS <i>Edinburgh</i> (D97) Type 42 destroyer

HMS Edinburgh was a Type 42 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.

HMS <i>Montrose</i> (F236) Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Montrose was the eighth of the sixteen-ship Type 23 or Duke class of frigates, of the Royal Navy, named after the Duke of Montrose. She was laid down in November 1989 by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde, and was launched on 31 July 1992 by Edith Rifkind, wife of Malcolm Rifkind, Secretary of State for Defence. She was commissioned into service in June 1994.

HMS <i>Argyll</i> (F231) 1991 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

The third and current HMS Argyll is a Type 23 Duke-class frigate. She is currently the oldest serving Type 23 frigate in the Royal Navy. Like all of her class she is named after a British dukedom, in this case that of Argyll. HMS Argyll was laid down in March 1987 by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow, and launched in 1989 by Lady Wendy Levene, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Paviors. She was commissioned in May 1991. Argyll is currently based at HMNB Devonport.

HMS <i>Lancaster</i> (F229) 1992 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Lancaster is a Duke-class Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 May 1990. The ship is known as "The Queen's Frigate", the Duke of Lancaster being a subsidiary title of the Sovereign. Being the third ship in the Type 23 class, Lancaster was originally allocated the pennant number F232 until it was noted that the 232 is the Royal Navy report form for groundings and collisions and therefore considered unlucky. She is one of the few ships left in the fleet with some female officers but mess decks which are men-only. It is quite common when she has returned from long operations that she is flown over by the Avro Lancaster bomber which is part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby.

HMS <i>Iron Duke</i> (F234) 1993 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Iron Duke is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, and the third ship to bear the name.

HMS <i>Westminster</i> (F237) 1994 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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.

HMS <i>Northumberland</i> (F238) 1994 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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.

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>Somerset</i> (F82) 1996 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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.

HMS <i>Sutherland</i> (F81) 1997 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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.

HMS <i>Kent</i> (F78) 2000 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

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, 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.

HMS <i>St Albans</i> (F83) 2002 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy


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.

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>Scylla</i> (F71) 1970 Type 12I or Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Scylla (F71) was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). She was built at Devonport Royal Dockyard, the last RN frigate to be built there as of 2016. Scylla was commissioned in 1970, taken out of service in 1993 in accordance with Options for Change, and sunk as an artificial reef in 2004 off Whitsand Bay, Cornwall.

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

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

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References

  1. ↑ "Type 23 Frigates". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 1 January 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  2. ↑ "Royal Navy unveiled Sea Ceptor and launched first user group at DSEI 2017".
  3. ↑ Scott, Richard (19 December 2023). "First NSM fit on RN Type 23 frigate". Janes. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Contenders for the Royal Navy's interim anti-ship missile requirement". navylookout.com. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Navy Lookout [@NavyLookout] (18 December 2023). "@NavyLookout First view of Royal Navy warship equipped with the Naval Strike Missile" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 December 2023– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ "Royal Navy ships to be fitted with advanced new missile system". gov.uk . 23 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Scott, Richard (16 February 2022). "UK confirms cancellation of I-SSGW programme". Janes Information Services . Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Royal Navy's Sea Venom light anti-ship missile full operating capability delayed until 2026". Navy Lookout. 21 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "HMS Portland Commissions". Warship News. 3 May 2001. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "HMS Portland". Royal Navy. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  12. ↑ "Boar of Inquiry into the loss of HMS Portland's Lynx helicopter" (PDF). December 2004.
  13. ↑ "Man killed when vessel capsizes". BBC News. 3 February 2007. Retrieved 3 February 2007.
  14. ↑ "HMS Portland in dramatic Atlantic drugs bust". Ministry of Defence. 29 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 August 2009. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  15. ↑ "HMS Portland and HMS Mersey to visit Liverpool". Shipping Times. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
  16. ↑ "British Navy stops pirate action". BBC News. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  17. ↑ "HMS Portland is off to patrol the Falkland Island seas". This is Plymouth. 14 April 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  18. ↑ "From Guy Fawkes Night To Armed Forces Day For HMS Portland". Navy News.[ dead link ]
  19. ↑ "First woman to command a major Navy warship takes up post". Ministry of Defence (UK) (Press release). 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  20. ↑ "First female navy commander removed after affair claim". BBC News. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "HMS Portland leaves Rosyth yard ship shape after £27 million refit". Royal Navy. 14 December 2012. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013.
  22. ↑ "Portland protects the nation on 24-hour call after completing six months training". Royal Navy. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 7 March 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  23. ↑ "Scotland Set To Host Exercise Joint Warrior". Royal Navy. 2 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  24. ↑ "Royal Navy warship welcomed home from patrol". Royal Navy. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  25. ↑ "HMS Portland sails on a nine-month patrol". Royal Navy. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "They think it's all Rover… It is now as tanker performs last RAS". Navy News . 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  27. ↑ "Portland ahoy! Frigate back at sea after massive revamp". Royal Navy. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  28. ↑ Allison, George (1 June 2023). "Data reveals number of days warships spent at sea last year". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "All aboard: Halifax launches first international fleet week". Atlantic. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  30. ↑ "Halifax International Fleet Week 2023". Halifax International Fleet Week. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  31. ↑ "NATO ships join UK Carrier Strike Group for start of exercise". Royal Navy . 26 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
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