HMS Northumberland (F238) 1

HMS Northumberland (F238)

HMS Northumberland coming alongside HMS Belfast as part of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition ofthe slave trade in the British Empire, April 2007

Career (UK)

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 andawards:

Barfleur 1692, Vigo 1702, Louisberg 1758, Quebec 1759, Egypt 1801, San Domingo 1806, Groix Island1812, Egypt 1882

Status: in active service, as of 2013[1]

Badge:

General characteristicsClass & type: Type 23 Frigate

Displacement: 4,900 tonnes, standard[2]

Length: 133 m (436 ft 4 in)

Beam: 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)

Draught: 7.3 m (23 ft 9 in)

Propulsion: CODLAG with four 1510 kW (2,025 shp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators powering two GECelectric motors delivering 2980kW (4000 shp) and two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A delivering 23,190 kW(31,100 shp) to two shafts

Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)

HMS Northumberland (F238) 2

Range: 14,485 km (9,001 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)

Complement: 185

Electronic warfare& decoys:

• 4 x 6-barrel Seagnat decoy launchers•• DFL2/3 offboard decoys

Armament: Anti-air missiles:• 1× 32-cell Sea Wolf GWS.26 VLS canisters for 32 Sea Wolf missiles (range 1-10 km)Anti-ship missiles:• 2 × quad Harpoon launchersAnti-submarine torpedoes:• 2 × Twin 12.75 in (324 mm) Sting Ray torpedo tubesGuns:• 1 × BAE 4.5 inch Mk8 gun• 2 × 30mm DS30M automated guns, or, 2× 30mm DS30B guns• 2 × Miniguns• 4 × General-purpose machine guns

Aircraft carried: 1×Lynx HMA8, armed with;• 4× Sea Skua anti ship missiles, or•• 2× anti submarine torpedoesor1×Westland Merlin HM1, armed with;•• 4× anti submarine torpedoes

Aviation facilities: •• Flight deck• Enclosed hangar

HMS Northumberland is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is named after the Duke of Northumberland. Sheis the eighth RN ship to bear the name since the first 70 gun frigate in 1679, and the ninth in the class of Type 23frigates. She is based at Devonport and is part of the Devonport Flotilla.

Service history

ConstructionShe was built by Swan Hunter in 1992 on the Tyne at Wallsend. She was launched by her sponsor Lady Kerr, wifeof Admiral Sir John Kerr GCB DL, the former Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command, in April 1992 and wasaccepted into Royal Naval Service in May 1994.

1994 deploymentAfter sea trials and going to F.o.s.t she was deployed to go to the Falklands during her passage HMSNorthumberland had to divert into rough weather to save a Fishing Trawler. Whilst doing this, the crew did notrealise that she had hit a whale. Whilst in Tenerife after dropping off fishermen, the bow dome began to leak. AfterTenerife, she continued to sail to Falkland Islands. During this time the dome kept leaking leading to theNorthumberland having to stay alongside in the Falklands till better weather. Once better weather arrived she sailedto Brazil to be put into dry dock. She was escorted in by two ex Royal Navy type 22 Frigates. Once in dry dock itwas then that it was found once dock was drained that a whale was sitting on top of the bow dome. It took 3 weeksfor it to get fixed costing over £3 million.

HMS Northumberland (F238) 3

1999 DeploymentDeploying to the Caribbean in 1999 for counter narcotics and disaster relief duties, she seized over two tonnes ofcocaine (with a street-value of £135 million), in cooperation with a United States Coast Guard law enforcementdetachment. [3]

Northumberland's 4.5 inch Mk 8 Mod 1 "Kryten"naval gun designed to reduce radar cross section

2004/05 refit

From July 2004 to July 2005 she underwent an extensive refit atNumber 1 dock inner at Babcock's dockyard in Rosyth, her first refitsince build. This equipped her with an updated suite of weapons andsensors (e.g. a modified 4.5" Gun and the latest Low Frequency ActiveSonar) and of propulsion and mechanical systems. Improvements werealso made to the living quarters and a state of the art galley to feed theShip's Company. Large areas of corroded deck have also beenreplaced. Also replaced were corroded areas of the flight deck,improving the lighting system that the pilots will use during nightlandings and installing a new helicopter handling system to move a 13

ton Merlin helicopter safely in and out of the hangar. (Although the Type 23 was originally designed to operate theMerlin, Northumberland had previously only hosted the much smaller Lynx.) The combination of 2087 LFAS andMerlin ASW helicopter has subsequently proved highly effective and the class is widely regarded as the mostcapable anti-submarine frigate afloat.

2005-2011She rejoined the fleet at the Trafalgar 200 celebrations, then embarked for a period of sea training, starting withBOST (Basic Operational Sea Training) in January 2006, straight after the Christmas leave period.[4] For a timeduring 2006 she then accompanied the submarine HMS Torbay on her deployment to the US AUTEC (AcousticUndersea Testing and Evaluation Centre) which is based on Andros Island in the Bahamas.[5] In 2007 she deployedto the Mediterranean as part of the UK's contribution to NATO maritime forces. In 2008 she deployed to the IndianOcean as the first RN warship to participate in the EU's counter piracy Operation ATALANTA, conductingnumerous counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and escorting World Food Programme humanitarian shippingbetween Mombasa and Mogadishu; this was partially documented in the Sky TV programme "Ross Kemp: In searchof pirates [6]". She deployed to the Indian Ocean again in 2010 for an eight month counter-piracy patrol as part of theinternational naval counter-piracy task force, TF 151 and conducted numerous operations to disrupt piracy activity inthe Gulf of Aden and the eastern Somali coast. She returned to the UK at the end of 2010 for an extensive refit in2011.

2011 refitHer extensive refit at the beginning of 2011 included significant technology upgrades. The Sea Wolf point defencemissile system was upgraded with the Sea Wolf Mid-Life Update (SWMLU - pronounced "swimloo") whichsubstantially improves the range, performance and reliability of the system. The combat system was upgraded fromoutfit DNA to DNA2, replacing the combat system architecture to improve redundancy and system performance, anda software upgrade which significantly improves overall functionality and sensor integration, as well as providingMMI convergance with the Type 45 destroyer's command system. Two 30mm BMARC cannons were replaced bytwo 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun (ASCG) mountings. These allow remote control of the mount via operatorconsoles and integrated Electro Optic fire control. Additional modifications improved habitability and reliability inhigh ambient temperatures.

HMS Northumberland (F238) 4

2011-2013Emerging from refit in the summer of 2011, she completed her sea trials and weapon acceptance programme,conducting eight weeks of Basic Operational Sea Training (BOST) in early 2012. She deployed back to the IndianOcean in the Autumn of 2012 for counter-piracy and counter-narcotics tasking. This included the successful captureand destruction of over £5M of cannabis resin from a smuggler in the Arabian Sea. She returned to the UK in May2013.[7]

Commanding officers

Name Date

Cdr S Bramley RN 1994-1996

Cdr S B Charlier RN 1996-1998

Cdr M S Peary RN 1998-2000

Cdr S R McQuaker RN 2000-2002

Cdr A J Burton RN 2002-2005

Cdr T J Guy RN 2005-2007

Cdr M J Simpson RN 2007-2009

Cdr P L Allen RN 2009-2011

Cdr P G Dowsett RN 2011-2013

Affiliations

Northumberland alongside HMS Belfast on theThames

She is affiliated to numerous organisations:•• Northumberland County Council• The Light Dragoons• The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers•• The 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers• The Sir James Knott Trust• The Worshipful Company of Bowyers• The Bank Of England's North Eastern Regional Agency• The Calvert Trust•• Hexham Abbey•• RAF Boulmer

•• The Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne• 'Spirit of Northumberland', the RNLI Tynemouth Lifeboat [8]• TS Tenacity SCC•• The Morpeth Pipe Band (whose pipers regularly pipe the Ship in and out of Devonport when deploying or

returning)• TS Dreadnought (Greenwich, Deptford & Rotherhithe Sea Cadets)• Dame Alice Harpur School, Bedford High School and Bedford School• Solihull School CCFIn honouring these affiliations, she regularly visits Newcastle (most recently in February 2011) and occasionally, London, most recently mooring along the north side of HMS Belfast in April 2007 as part of the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act 1807. On that visit she was open to the public with a display on modern anti-slaving operations

HMS Northumberland (F238) 5

in which she and other ships of the Royal Navy take part. She also visited Baltimore in June 2006, Marmaris inTurkey in February 2003 and in October 2001 attended an Australian Fleet Review in Sydney.

References[1] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=HMS_Northumberland_(F238)& action=edit[2] http:/ / www. royalnavy. mod. uk/ The-Fleet/ Ships/ Frigates[3] http:/ / www. royalnavy. mod. uk/ news-and-events/ rn-live/ navy-drugs-bust-siezes-135m-of/ */ changeNav/ 6568[4] http:/ / www. royal-navy. mod. uk/ server/ show/ conWebDoc. 2778/ changeNav/ 3533[5] http:/ / www. royal-navy. mod. uk/ server/ show/ conWebDoc. 3034/ changeNav/ 3533[6] http:/ / sky1. sky. com/ show/ ross-kemp-in-search-of-pirates[7] http:/ / www. royalnavy. mod. uk/ News-and-Events/ Latest-News/ 2013/ May/ 10/ 130510-Northumberland-home[8] http:/ / www. tynemouth-lifeboat. org/ html/ hms_north_d. html

External links• MOD news related to the ship (http:/ / www. royal-navy. mod. uk/ server/ ?search_word=HMS+

Northumberland& show=nav. 4706& exclude=ConMediaFile)• Refit (http:/ / www. royal-navy. mod. uk/ server/ show/ conWebDoc. 2594/ changeNav/ 3533)• The ship's website (http:/ / www. royal-navy. mod. uk/ server/ show/ conWebDoc. 177/ changeNav/ 3533)

Article Sources and Contributors 6

Article Sources and ContributorsHMS Northumberland (F238)  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=569725049  Contributors: 1exec1, Aidan Jennings, Aldis90, Amatulic, Antarctic-adventurer, Bbolen,Bellhalla, Bleaney, Brad101AWB, Bryan Derksen, Chase me ladies, I'm the Cavalry, Council-gritter, David Newton, Dawkeye, FerdinandFrog, Fry1989, Gdr, Haus, Jackyd101, JonEastham,Khazar, Kimchi.sg, Lightmouse, Mark83, Miyagawa, Mogism, Neddyseagoon, New Hampshirite, Num1dgen, ObscureReality, Phd8511, Quadell, Rademire, Rcbutcher, Rhelmerichs, Rjanag,Shem1805, TRBP, Template namespace initialisation script, The JPS, Toddy1, Tupsumato, 60 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsImage:HMS Northumberland from Belfast.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HMS_Northumberland_from_Belfast.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:user:Jackyd101File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Naval_Ensign_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg  License: Public Domain  Contributors:AnonMoos, Avicennasis, Bender235, Cycn, Dancingwombatsrule, Ec.Domnowall, Fry1989, Homo lupus, Pumbaa80, Stunteltje, Xiengyod, Yaddah, 3 anonymous editsFile:Northumberland Naval Gun.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Northumberland_Naval_Gun.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: Jackyd101, KTo288,Kameraad Pjotr, RcbutcherImage:HMS Northumberland.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HMS_Northumberland.jpg  License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: Neddyseagoonat en.wikipedia

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