HMS Hampshire (D06)

HMS Hampshire
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Hampshire
Ordered:	27 January 1956
Builder:	John Brown & Company, Clydebank, Scotland
Laid down:	26 March 1959
Launched:	16 March 1961
Commissioned:	15 March 1963
Decommissioned:	1976
Identification:	pennant number: D06
Fate:	Sold for scrap in 1979
General characteristics
Class and type:	County-class destroyer
Displacement:	5,200 long tons (5,300 t) normal 6,800 long tons (6,900 t) full load
Length:	505 ft (154 m) pp 521 ft 6 in (158.95 m) oa
Beam:	54 ft (16 m)
Draught:	20 ft 6 in (6.25 m)
Propulsion:	2 shaft COSAG (Combined steam and gas) turbines Geared steam turbines, 30,000 shp (22,000 kW) 4× G6 gas turbines, 30,000 shp (22,000 kW)
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) (25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph) steam only)
Range:	3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Complement:	471
Sensors and processing systems:	Type 965 air search radar Type 277 height finder radar Type 992 target indication radar Type 901 Seaslug fire control radar Type 902/903 Seacat fire control radar Type 177 Sonar
Armament:	4× 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mark 6 guns (2 twin turrets) 2 × mountings for Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 1 twin Seaslug surface-to-air missile launcher 2 × Quad GWS-21 Seacat short-range surface-to-air missile launcher
Aircraft carried:	1 × Wessex helicopter

HMS Hampshire was a County-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Laid down, in March 1959 a couple of weeks behind the class leader Devonshire, she was classified as a guided missile destroyer, as the Sea Lords regarded the concept of the cruiser and big gun ship as discredited by the perceived failure of the Tiger class and the obsolescence of the heavy gun. The description of guided missile destroyer seemed more likely to win approval from the Treasury and Government for an adequate number of warships the size of small cruisers, which could play many traditional cruiser flagship and command functions, but had no armour around its gun and missile magazine.

From her third Commission in 1967 Hampshire flew the flag of the Flag Officer, Western Fleet (United Kingdom). In July 1969 she was present at Torbay for the Royal Review and presentation of a new colour to the Western Fleet (United Kingdom).

In the late 1960s there were plans to upgrade Hampshire and sister destroyers armed with Seaslug Mk 1, with Seaslug Mk 2 and a digital combat system being fitted, but the upgrade of Hampshire and Devonshire was cancelled on 31 March 1967 because of the amount of the time the ships would be out of the operational fleet, with the remaining two upgrades cancelled in 1968.

In 1976 she was the first of the County-class destroyers to be decommissioned. This was at a time the Labour Government was making severe defence cuts under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She was cannibalised for spares to service her sister ships and subsequently sold for scrap in 1979.

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Wikipedia