HMS Argyll (F231)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | September 1986 |
| Laid down: | 20 March 1987 |
| Launched: | 8 April 1989 |
| Commissioned: | 31 May 1991 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2006. |
| Struck: | |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,900 tonnes |
| Length: | 133 m (463 ft) |
| Beam: | 16.1 m (52.9 ft) |
| Draught: | 7.3 m |
| Propulsion: | CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas) 2 Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas-turbines 4 Paxman Valenta diesel engines 2 GEC electric motors |
| Speed: | 28 knots, 15 knots on diesel-electric |
| Range: | 7,800 miles at 15 knots |
| Complement: | 185 |
| Armament: | 2 ASuW Harpoon quad launchers Vertical launch system Sea Wolf missiles BAE 4.5 inch (110 mm) Mk 8 gun 2 Oerlikon 30 mm guns 4 Sting Ray torpedo tubes Seagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers |
| Aircraft: | Lynx HMA8 |
| Motto: | Ne Obliviscaris (Lest We Forget) |
The third and current HMS Argyll (F231) is a Type 23 'Duke' Class frigate. She was laid down in March 1987 by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow, launched in 1989 by Lady Lady Wendy Levene, and commissioned in May 1991. Argyll is currently part of the 6th Frigate Squadron based at Devonport Dockyard.
In 2000, Argyll was part of the Royal Navy task force — comprising Illustrious, Ocean, Iron Duke, Chatham, and four RFA ships — that deployed to Sierra Leone during the civil war there. During those operations, Argyll acted as the West African Guardship and remained off West Africa until September 2000. During her deployment, Argyll saved fifty-eight lives from drowning. She was relieved by her sister-ship Iron Duke in September.
In 2001, while in the Bay of Biscay, Argyll suffered an electrical fire. Thankfully the fire was quickly put out by the ship's damage control team, with the ship suffering only minimal damage.
Argyll successfully 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 in 2005. The current ship's programme is a small visit to Boulogne then to the home port of Inverary and finally to Liverpool before undergoing Operational Sea Trials. Argyll sucessfully completed Operational Sea Training and was recently acting guardship for H.M. Elizabeth II on a week sailing on the Hebridean Princess in July 2006.
Argyll is shortly deploying to Africa commencing early September 2006.
See HMS Argyll for other ships of the name.
| Type 23 frigate |
| Norfolk | Argyll | Lancaster | Marlborough | Iron Duke | Monmouth | Montrose | Westminster | Northumberland | Richmond | Somerset | Grafton | Sutherland | Kent | Portland | St Albans |
List of frigates of the Royal Navy |
