HMS Monmouth (F235)

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HMS Monmouth (F235)
Career (UK) RN Ensign
Name: HMS Monmouth (F235)
Operator: Royal Navy
Ordered: July 1988
Builder: Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down: 1 June 1989
Launched: 23 November 1991
Commissioned: 24 September 1993
Motto: Hic vir honestus se radet
Fate: Active in service as of 2008
General characteristics
Class and type: 'Duke'-class Type 23 frigate
Displacement: 4,900 tonnes
Length: 133 m (463 ft 3 in)
Beam: 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion: CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas)
2 × Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas-turbines
4 × Paxman Valenta diesel engines
2 × GEC electric motors
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h)
15 knots (28 km/h) on diesel-electric
Range: 7,800 nautical miles (14,400 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 185
Armament: 2 × ASuW Harpoon quad launchers
Vertical launch system Sea Wolf missiles
1 × BAE 4.5 inch (110 mm) Mk 8 gun
2 × Oerlikon 30 mm guns
4 × Sting Ray torpedo tubes
Seagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers
Aircraft carried: 1 × Merlin HM1 helicopter

HMS Monmouth (F235) is the sixth Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the seventh ship to bear the name and was launched by Lady Eaton in 1991, being commissioned two years later. She visited Wellington in June 1995 in company with RFA Brambleleaf, the first U.K. or U.S. warship to visit New Zealand since the 1985 ANZUS dispute.

Affectionately known as 'The Black Duke', Monmouth is the only ship in service with the Royal Navy that has its name painted in black and flies a plain black flag in addition to the ensign. This is due to the dissolution of the title and the blacking out of the Coat of Arms of the Duke of Monmouth in 1685 following the Monmouth Rebellion against James II of England.

In early 2004 the ship was assigned to the Atlantic Patrol Task North. In 2006 HMS Monmouth underwent operational sea training, conducted by Flag Officer Sea Training, in which she spent six weeks fighting off staged attacks by ships and submarines.

HMS Monmouth returned to berth at her home port HMNB Devonport on the 3rd December 2007 having completed a circumnavigation of the globe, visiting Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii and taking part in a FPDA Exercise.

Contents

[edit] Commanding Officers

  • Commander T J Peacock (?-present)

[edit] Affiliations

[edit] See also

[edit] External links