HMS Argyll (F231)

HMS Argyll, 2009
History
UK
Name:	HMS Argyll
Operator:	Royal Navy
Ordered:	September 1986
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down:	20 March 1987
Launched:	8 April 1989
Commissioned:	31 May 1991
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Identification:	Pennant number: F231 International callsign: GACG[1]
Motto:	Ne Obliviscaris "Lest We Forget"
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)[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: Four 1510 kW (2,025 shp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators Two GEC electric motors delivering 2980kW (4000 shp) Two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1C delivering 23,190 kW (31,100 shp)
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)
Electronic warfare & decoys:	UAF-1 ESM, or, UAT Mod 1 Seagnat Type 182 towed torpedo decoy Surface Ship Torpedo Defence
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 launchers Anti-submarine torpedoes: 2 × Twin 12.75 in (324 mm) Sting Ray torpedo tubes Guns: 1 × BAE 4.5 inch Mk 8 naval gun 2 × 30mm DS30M Mk2 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 torpedoes or 1 × Westland Merlin HM1, armed with; 4 × anti submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck Enclosed hangar

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 for a British dukedom, in this case that of Argyll. Argyll will be the first Type 23 to be fitted with the new Sea Ceptor missile system.^[3]

Ships history

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.^[4] It was commissioned in May 1991. Argyll is currently based at Devonport Dockyard. It is planned that she will retire in 2023.^[5]

In March 2014, she accidentally fired a test (unarmed) torpedo whilst training at Devonport,^[6] there were no injuries and minimal damage.

Deployments

In 2000, Argyll was part of the Royal Navy task force - Task Group 342.01 - — comprising Illustrious, Ocean, Iron Duke, Chatham, and four RFA ships — that deployed to Sierra Leone as part of the British military intervention in the Sierra Leone civil war. During those operations, Argyll acted as the West African Guardship and remained off West Africa until September 2000. Throughout this period ARGYLL operated with her Lynx HMA Mk 8 Helicopter. The Lynx undertook daily patrols and searches. The Lynx was instrument during Operation BARRAS. During her deployment, the helicopter was scrambled to search for a missing passenger ferry. The aircraft's crew quickly located the vessel and provided escort for Argyll. Argyll saved fifty-eight lives from drowning. She was relieved by her sister-ship Iron Duke in September.^[7] During this incident Argyll, assisted by HMS Ocean, laid the foundation for the Iron Duke Community School. This is a school for orphans in Freetown. President Kabbah of Sierra Leone decreed the school be named after the crew of Iron Duke for completing the construction of the six classrooms.^[8]

2001 saw a change in command with Commander John Kingwell succeeding Commander Rick Wellesley.^[9] In 2001, while in the Bay of Biscay, Argyll suffered an electrical fire that was quickly put out by the ship's damage control team, with the ship suffering only minimal damage.^[10]

Argyll completed a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf protecting two oil platforms, working with the American, Australian and Iraqi Navies from February to August 2005.^[11] The ship made a short visit to Boulogne, then to its home port of Inveraray and finally to Liverpool,^[12] before undergoing Operational Sea Trials. Argyll successfully completed Operational Sea Training and acted as a contingency platform whilst H.M. Elizabeth II spent a week sailing on the Hebridean Princess in July 2006.

In September 2006 Argyll was deployed along with other ships such as Ocean and Albion where she completed two drugs raids on merchant ships totalling £50 million. They |completed their operation in November of the same year.

HMS Argyll was in the newspapers for all the wrong reasons on 14 September 2007 when it was claimed that 41-year-old commanding officer Captain Nigel Chandler was replaced when the ship failed twice to pass the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) exercises. These exercises are taken every 18 months to ensure the ship and crew are ready for deployment.^[13] In October 2007 Argyll returned to the Persian Gulf to take over from her sister-ship, Richmond.^[14]

Thursday 3 April 2008 saw more than 500 friends and relatives welcome HMS Argyll as she returned to her home at Devonport after a deployment lasting 6 months in the Northern Persian Gulf. This was Argyll's second Gulf deployment to Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 in three years. This deployment included one patrol which lasted 52 days from January to March 2008. HMS Argyll was also at the 'Meet Your Navy' exhibition at HMNB Portsmouth 2008.^[15][16]

6 May 2008 saw the crew return to Argyll, with the crew bidding their commanding officer of 7 months, Commander Gavin Pritchard, a fond farewell. Pritchard was succeeded by Commander Peter Olive. Argyll was then to engage in a period of trials and training before entering a period of maintenance in June.^[17]

11 May 2008 saw the Trans-Atlantic solo yacht race in Plymouth Sound started by the ceremonial cannon aboard Argyll. Dame Ellen MacArthur also attended the start of the race and Rear Admiral Richard Ibbotson, head of the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation, was also on board Argyll.^[18][19]

On 21 July 2008 Argyll led the parade of tall ships out of Liverpool ahead of the Tall Ships Race starting 23 July.

On 18 February 2009, Argyll sailed from Devonport as part of the Taurus 09 deployment under Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson, She was joined on this deployment by Landing Platform Dock Bulwark, as Hudson's flagship, Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) Ocean, Type 23 Frigate Somerset and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.^[20] Argyll returned to Devonport on 17 April from this deployment.^[21]

In early October 2010, Argyll and her crew arrived in Plymouth last week after an 11-month refit which included 290,000-man-hours spent on modifications, upgrades and improvements."^[22] She has received a new command system, upgrades to Sea Wolf, the Mod1 4.5-inch (114mm) gun, and mounts for new small calibre guns.^[22] She was also given new boat-launching equipment.^[22] "The refit included the replacing of two of the vessel's four diesel generators and one of her gas turbine engines."^[22] Her ventilation system has been improved.^[22] "Along with fresh paint on the upper decks she has been coated below the waterline with a special paint to prevent the build-up of sea life which would slow the ship. This also makes her more fuel-efficient."^[22] "HMS Argyll is the first Type 23 frigate to undergo a second major refit."^[22] As of March 2011, Argyll was in post refit sea training. Commander Paul Stroude has been the commanding officer of Argyll since May 2010.

On Sunday 22 January 2012 it was announced that Argyll was part of a six-ship convoy which sailed through the Strait of Hormuz alongside French and United States Navy vessels, during a diplomatic dispute with Iran.^[23] In a period after this she engaged in Exercise ‘Goalkeeper’ whilst still in the Middle East.^[24]

On 30 June 2012, Armed Forces Day, she fired the salute in Plymouth as part of a steampast alongside RFA Mounts Bay, the Earl of Wessex was in attendance alongside the First Sea Lord.^[25][26]

In 2013, she served a seven-month deployment to the Atlantic, having visited South Africa.^[27] She also engaged in counter-narcotics work in the Eastern Pacific by travelling around Cape Horn and headed back to her home port via the Panama Canal.^[28][29]

On 30 June 2014, she arrived in Hamilton, Bermuda for a three-day visit as part of her deployment to the North Atlantic and Caribbean.^[30]

She arrived in Baltimore, Maryland on September 11, 2014 to participate in ceremonies commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner.^[31]

On Thursday 25 September 2014, she arrived in Veracruz.^[32]

On 6 October 2014, HMS Argyll visited George Town, Grand Cayman, after having been on counter-narcotics deployment in August 2014.^[33] From 9-13 October 2014 HMS Argyll paid an official visit to the Dominican Republic during the course of which her flight deck hosted the baptism of Stefania Rozsa, daughter of the British Ambassador. On 18 October 2014, she arrived in Bermuda to provide assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Gonzalo.^[34]

In 2014, a Royal Navy Lynx from Argyll identified a suspicious yacht in the Caribbean Sea, and a detachment of the US Coast Guard operating from Argyll seized $16 million worth of cocaine found on the yacht. The group had seized an even larger shipment earlier on the same deployment.^[35]

Related images

• 
  HMS Argyll off Senegal, in 2013
• 
  HMS Argyll during Navydays Zeebrugge 2009
• 
  Harpoon anti-ship missiles on Argyll
• 
  4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun on board Argyll

Affiliations

• His Grace, The Duke of Argyll
• The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
• No. 47 Squadron RAF
• Argyll and Bute District Council

School Crest of the Dollar Academy, affiliate of HMS Argyll.

• City of Glasgow
• Worshipful Company of Paviors
• Plymouth Argyle F.C.
• Lady Levene, the ship's sponsor
• HMS Vivid RNR
• Royal Naval Club, Argyll
• Royal Naval Association Stirling
• TS Argyll Irvine & District Sea Cadets
• City of London Sea Cadets
• Kelly College, Devon
• Dollar Academy, Clackmannanshire
• High School of Glasgow
• Argyll Ward, Derriford Hospital^[36]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMS Argyll (F231).

• Royal Navy HMS Argyll (royalnavy.mod.uk)

Type 23 frigates
Royal Navy	Norfolk Marlborough Argyll Lancaster Iron Duke Monmouth Westminster Northumberland Montrose Richmond Somerset Grafton Sutherland Kent Portland St Albans
Chilean Navy	Almirante Cochrane (ex-Norfolk) Almirante Condell (ex-Marlborough) Almirante Lynch (ex-Grafton)
Preceded by: Type 22 frigates Followed by: Type 26 frigates
List of frigates of the Royal Navy

Commissioned ships of the Royal Navy
Submarines	Vanguard class Vanguard Victorious Vigilant Vengeance Trafalgar class Torbay Trenchant Talent Triumph Astute class Astute Ambush Artful
Destroyers	Type 45 Daring Dauntless Diamond Dragon Defender Duncan
Frigates	Type 23 Argyll Lancaster Iron Duke Monmouth Montrose Westminster Northumberland Richmond Somerset Sutherland Kent Portland St Albans
Amphibious warfare ships	Albion-class LPD Albion Bulwark Ocean-class LPH Ocean
Mine counter measures vessels	Sandown class Penzance Pembroke Grimsby Bangor Ramsey Blyth Shoreham Hunt class Ledbury Cattistock Brocklesby Middleton Chiddingfold Atherstone Hurworth Quorn
Patrol vessels	Ice patrol vessel Protector River class Mersey Severn Tyne Clyde Archer class Archer Biter Smiter Blazer Puncher Charger Ranger Trumpeter Express Example Explorer Exploit Tracker Raider Pursuer Dasher Scimitar class Scimitar Sabre
Survey vessels	Ocean survey vessel Scott Echo class Echo Enterprise Survey launch Gleaner
Miscellaneous vessels	Type 82 Bristol (static training vessel) Ship of the line Victory (flagship of the First Sea Lord)