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HMS Lancaster in the Caribbean Sea during 2013
History
United Kingdom
Name	Lancaster
Ordered	September 1986
Builder	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down	18 December 1987
Launched	24 May 1990
Sponsored by	Queen Elizabeth II
Commissioned	1 May 1992
Out of service	Projected 2025
Refit	Major 2010–2012, LIFEX 2017–2019
Homeport	HMNB Portsmouth (forward deployed to Operation Kipion)
Nickname(s)	The Queen's Frigate
Status	In active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 23 frigate
Displacement	4,900 t (4,800 long tons)
Length	133 m (436 ft 4 in)
Beam	16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught	7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	CODLAG: Four 1,510 kW (2,020 shp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators Two GEC electric motors delivering 2,980 kW (4,000 shp) Two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1C delivering 23,190 kW (31,100 shp)
Speed	In excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range	7,500 nmi (13,900 km; 8,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
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 GWS 35 Vertical Launching System (VLS) for: 32 × Sea Ceptor missiles (1–25+ km) Anti-ship missiles: originally fit with 2 × quad Harpoon Block 1C launchers (8 × missiles) for 2022 Gulf deployment; Harpoon retired from RN service December 2023 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 × 30 mm DS30M Mk2 guns, or, 2 × 30 mm DS30B guns Browning heavy machine guns 2 × Miniguns (may be retired as of 2023) 4 × General-purpose machine gun
Aircraft carried	1 × Wildcat HMA2, armed with: 4 × Sea Venom anti-ship missiles (projected full operating capability from 2026), or 2 × Sting Ray anti-submarine torpedoes, or 20 × Martlet multirole missiles (from 2021) Mk 11 depth charges or 1 × Westland Merlin HM2, armed with 4 × anti submarine torpedoes plus 2 x Peregrine ISR UAV (from mid-2024)
Aviation facilities	Flight deck Enclosed hangar

HMS Lancaster is a Duke-class Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, launched by Queen Elizabeth II on 24 May 1990. The ship is known as "The Queen's Frigate", the Duke of Lancaster being a subsidiary title of the Sovereign. Being the third ship in the Type 23 class, Lancaster was originally allocated the pennant number F232 until it was noted that the 232 is the Royal Navy report form for groundings and collisions and therefore considered unlucky. She is one of the few ships left in the fleet with some female officers but mess decks which are men-only.

The ship, like her sisters Monmouth, Montrose, Iron Duke and Argyll, did not receive the new Sonar 2087 upgrade that other frigates of the class subsequently received. Therefore she is regarded as a "general purpose" frigate without the more specialized anti-submarine capability of the other eight ships in the Type 23 fleet.

Operational history

1992–2000

In 1994, Lancaster deployed on a nine-month mission to the Caribbean Sea, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, During this time she acted as guardship for the royal yacht HMY Britannia, conducted anti-drug smuggling operations and sonar trials. She also acted as guardship for Queen Elizabeth II during the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in August 1994.

2001–2010

From Feb to July 2001 Lancaster deployed to the Gulf to patrol the Iraq no-fly zone.

Lancaster was involved in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, but also delivered Vice Admiral Adrian Johns in 2009 to his new post as Governor of Gibraltar. In February 2010 Lancaster was deployed in waters off the Horn of Africa as part of Combined Task Force 150, tackling piracy, drug-running, people trafficking, arms smuggling, and other criminal and terrorist threats.

In September 2010 Lancaster entered refit in Portsmouth.

2011–2017

Lancaster returned to sea in early 2012 and returned to active service in Spring 2013. The £17.9m contract covered upgrades to communications, the Sea Wolf and command systems, the installation of a 30 mm remote-operated gun and a transom flap. Both shafts were replaced, four refurbished diesel generators installed and new paint applied to the hull. The accommodation, galley and dining halls were all refurbished at the same time. Half the crew returned to the ship in October 2011, under the command of Lt Cdr Charlie Guy until Cdr Steve Moorhouse took over in November 2011. Although the top speed of the Duke class is commonly quoted as 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), the caption of an official Navy photo suggests that Lancaster was capable of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) even before her mid-life refit; the transom flap can add up to 1 knot (1.9 km/h; 1.2 mph) to the top speed of a Type 23, and the Intersleek anti-fouling paint added 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) to the top speed of the carrier Ark Royal.

In July to August 2013, she was on a counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean, seizing a 680-kilogram (1,500 lb) haul of cocaine with an estimated street value of £100 million after sailors and an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment boarded a speedboat near Puerto Rico.

On 23 March 2015, Lancaster became the first ship in the Royal Navy to deploy with the navy's new uniform and Wildcat helicopter.

The crew of the Lancaster gathered on the deck of the vessel to spell the word sister, as a present from the Royal Navy, on the birth of Princess Charlotte on 2 May 2015.

Between 12 and 16 October 2015 Lancaster and RFA Gold Rover participated in the bicentennial anniversary commemorations of Napoleon's arrival on Saint Helena after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, and subsequent surrender to British forces.

In 2015, the ship visited Algiers for three days for official receptions and a short spell of training with ships in the Algerian Navy, including the Algerian amphibious transport dock Kalaat Béni Abbès. She arrived back in the UK on 17 December 2015.

Upon her return to the UK, Lancaster entered a period of "extended readiness" in Portsmouth awaiting refit in 2017. Lancaster departed Portsmouth on 31 March 2017 under tow for Plymouth.

2018–present

Lancaster underwent a life extension refit (LIFEX) at HMNB Devonport from 2017 to 2019 which included fitting of the Artisan 3D radar, Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles and strengthening the backbone of the ship.

The ship arrived back to its Home Port, HMNB Portsmouth, in December 2019. The ship was returned to operations in July 2020.

In August 2022, it was reported that in preparation for her planned deployment to the Persian Gulf to replace HMS Montrose, Lancaster had been fitted with a full complement of eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Lancaster sailed for the Gulf on August 15 on a deployment starting with NATO exercises in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Once reaching the Persian Gulf, she was expected to remain forward deployed until 2025 with her crew being rotated every four months. Late in the month, Lancaster was diverted, at least temporarily, to shadow the Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov and the destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov as they manoeuvred in the vicinity of the British Isles. Lancaster arrived in the Gulf in November 2022 and a crew swap was performed in December.

Affiliations

• The Queen
• The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (King's, Lancashire and Border)
• The Lancashire Army Cadet Force
• City of Lancaster
• Duchy of Lancaster
• Adjutant General's Corps
• Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
• Worshipful Company of Feltmakers
• University of Lancaster
• Morecambe and Lancaster Sea Cadet Corps (TS Lancaster)
• Preston Sea Cadet Corps (TS Galloway)
• The Worshipful Company of Constructors

References

1. "The Royal Navy's fading presence in the Middle East". Navy Lookout. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
2. "Type 23 Frigate". Royal Navy. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
3. "Royal Navy unveiled Sea Ceptor and launched first user group at DSEI 2017".
4. "Contenders for the Royal Navy's interim anti-ship missile requirement | Navy Lookout". 26 August 2021.
5. ^ @NavyLookout (3 August 2022). "@HMSLANCASTER off the UHAF yesterday after receiving a full outfit of Harpoon missiles ahead of her eventual deployment to the Gulf" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 August 2022 – via Twitter.
6. Scott, Richard (19 December 2023). "First NSM fit on RN Type 23 frigate". Janes. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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8. HMS Lancaster fires.50 (12.7mm) calibre heavy machine gun. United Kingdom: YouTube. 8 February 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
9. "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
10. "Royal Navy's Sea Venom light anti-ship missile full operating capability delayed until 2026". Navy Lookout. 21 June 2023.
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13. @NavyLookout (25 September 2024). "@NavyLookout Recent photos showing two Peregrine RWUAS embarked on @HMSLANCASTER for trials in the Indian Ocean. Both aircraft fitted with the Thales I-Master radar with tactical data link integrated into ship's combat managment [sic] system" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 September 2024 – via Twitter.
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16. ^ "Lancaster Ship's Company Return 'Home'". Royal Navy. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
17. Jane's Fighting Ships 1999-2000
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External links

• "HMS Lancaster (F229)". Royal Navy.

v t e 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 frigate Followed by: Type 26 frigate (ASW) / Type 31 frigate (GP)
# = Fitted with towed array sonar for ASW operations † = General purpose ship without towed array sonar List of frigate classes of the Royal Navy

v t e Commissioned ships of the Royal Navy
Aircraft carriers	Queen Elizabeth class Queen Elizabeth Prince of Wales
Submarines	Vanguard class Vanguard Victorious Vigilant Vengeance Trafalgar class Triumph Astute class Astute Ambush Artful Audacious Anson
Destroyers	Type 45 Daring Dauntless Diamond Dragon Defender Duncan
Frigates	Type 23 Argyll Lancaster Iron Duke Westminster Richmond Somerset Sutherland Kent Portland St Albans
Amphibious warfare ships	Albion-class LPD Albion Bulwark
Mine counter measures vessels	Sandown class Penzance Pembroke Bangor Hunt class Ledbury Cattistock Brocklesby Middleton Chiddingfold Hurworth
Patrol vessels	Ice patrol vessel Protector River class Severn Tyne Mersey Forth Medway Trent Tamar Spey Archer class Archer Biter Smiter Blazer Puncher Charger Ranger Trumpeter Express Example Explorer Exploit Tracker Raider Pursuer Dasher Cutlass class Cutlass Dagger
Survey vessels	Ocean survey vessel Scott Survey launch Magpie
Miscellaneous	Ship of the line Victory (flagship of the First Sea Lord)

• Frigates of the United Kingdom
• Ships built on the River Clyde
• History of Lancaster
• Military history of Lancashire
• 1990 ships
• Type 23 frigates of the Royal Navy