Originally lead ship (Captain F) of the Devonport-based 8th Frigate Squadron and upon its disbandment in 1993, lead ship of the 2nd Frigate Squadron, HMS Cornwall had battle honours from Barfleur in 1692, the Falkland Islands in 1914 and the Dardanelles in 1915.
Cornwall was affectionately dubbed "the Fighting Ice Cream" by her crew due to her pennant number of F99. She undertook duties in the North and South Atlantic Ocean, Adriatic, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Baltic Seas throughout her time in service, and completed several patrols to the Persian Gulf and deployments to the Far East.
In 1992 she deployed to the West Indies as West Indies Guard ship, visiting Bermuda, Tortola, Belize, The Bahamas, Pensacola, Key West and Curaçao before making her way home up the East Coast of the US and Canada via Norfolk, Boston and Halifax. In 1993 she deployed to the Gulf with a mid-deployment break to Mombasa in Kenya. 1994 saw her return again to the Gulf but this time visiting Singapore, Penang, Tioman Island and Sri Lanka whilst off station. En route back from the Far East, the ship took the opportunity to stop and lay a wreath at the site of the sinking of the previous HMS Cornwall, a County Class heavy cruiser sunk by Japanese dive bombers in April 1942.
Between 1996 and 1998 she was commanded by Captain Anthony Dymock.[4]
In February 2011, while operating in the Gulf of Aden as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, boarding teams from HMS Cornwall participated in the rescue of five Yemeni fishermen and the capture of 17 Somali pirates from a fishing dhow, which had been seized by pirates on 11 November 2010.[6]
HMS Cornwall enters Devonport for the final time, 26 April 2011
Decommissioning and disposal
On 26 April 2011 she returned to Plymouth for the last time, and decommissioned on 30 June 2011.[7] Her decommissioning pennant was presented to the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum on 5 October 2011. The ship's bell was presented to Truro Cathedral on 18 October 2011.[8]
She was later towed to HMNB Portsmouth, where she lay with sister ships HMS Cumberland, HMS Campbeltown, HMS Chatham. All four were put up for sale in January 2013[9] and in July sold to Swansea Drydocks for demolition. She left Portsmouth, being towed to Swansea, on 24 October 2013.[10]
Cornwall in Portsmouth harbour prior to scrapping, October 2013
Should a future ship be named Cornwall, her ship's company will be able to visit Truro to revive the Royal Navy's links with the county and return the Bell to the county's affiliated ship.[11]
Affiliations
Cornwall was affiliated with a number of military and civilian organisations and bodies:[12]
United Kingdom
