HMS Northumberland (F238)
HMS Northumberland, 2012
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| History | |
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 UK
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| Name: | HMS Northumberland |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Ordered: | December 1989 |
| Builder: | Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom |
| Laid down: | 4 April 1991 |
| Launched: | 4 April 1992 |
| Sponsored by: | Lady Anne Kerr |
| Commissioned: | 29 September 1994 |
| Homeport: | HMNB Devonport, Plymouth |
| Identification: | Pennant number: F238 |
| Honours and awards: |
Barfleur 1692, Vigo 1702, Louisberg 1758, Quebec 1759, Egypt 1801, San Domingo 1806, Groix Island 1812, Egypt 1882 |
| Status: | in active service |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type 23 Frigate |
| Displacement: | 4,900 t (4,800 long tons; 5,400 short tons) |
| Length: | 133 m (436 ft 4 in) |
| Beam: | 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in) |
| Draught: | 7.3 m (23 ft 9 in) |
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| Speed: | In excess of 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range: | 7,500 nautical miles (14,000 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 185 (accommodation for up to 205) |
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| Aircraft carried: |
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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 frigate in 1679, and the ninth in the class of Type 23 frigates. She is based at Devonport and is part of the Devonport Flotilla.
Northumberland 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 GCB DL, the former Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command, in April 1992 and was accepted into Royal Naval Service in May 1994.
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. Northumberlandtook 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.
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 (e.g. 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 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.
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