HMS Lancaster is a Duke-class Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, launched by Queen Elizabeth II[9] on 24 May 1990.[10] The ship is known as "The Queen's Frigate",[11] 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.[12][13] She is one of the few ships left in the fleet with some female officers but mess decks which are men-only.[14] It is quite common when she has returned from long operations that she is flown over by the Avro Lancaster bomber which is part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight based at RAF Coningsby.
The ship, like her sisters HMS Monmouth, HMS Montrose, HMS Iron Duke and HMS 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.[15]
Lancaster returning from a deployment in the Persian Gulf
From Feb to July 2001 Lancaster deployed to the Gulf to patrol the Iraq no-fly zone.[citation needed]
Lancaster was involved in anti-drug operations in the Caribbean, but also delivered Vice AdmiralAdrian 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.[16][17]
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.[14] The £17.9m contract covered upgrades to communications, the Sea Wolf and command systems,[18] the installation of a 30 mm remote-operated gun[18] and a transom flap.[19] Both shafts were replaced, four refurbished diesel generators installed and new paint applied to the hull.[19] The accommodation, galley and dining halls were all refurbished at the same time.[11] 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.[14] 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;[20] the transom flap can add up to 1 knot (1.9 km/h; 1.2 mph) to the top speed of a Type 23,[21] and the Intersleek anti-fouling paint added 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) to the top speed of Ark Royal.[22]
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 GuardLaw Enforcement Detachment boarded a speedboat near Puerto Rico.[23][24]
On 23 March 2015, Lancaster became the first ship in the Royal Navy to deploy with the navy's new uniform and Wildcat helicopter.[25]
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.[26]
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.[27]
Upon her return to the UK, Lancaster entered a period of "extended readiness" in Portsmouth awaiting refit in 2017.[29]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.[30]
The ship arrived back to its Home Port, HMNB Portsmouth, in December 2019.[31][32] The ship was returned to operations in July 2020.[33]
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.[5]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.[34] 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.[35]Lancaster arrived in the Gulf in November 2022 and a crew swap was performed in December.[36]
United Kingdom
