Summary
HMS Southampton was a batch two Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was named after the city of Southampton, England, and built by Vosper Thornycroft, in Southampton. She was the sixth Royal Navy ship to bear the name.
 HMS Southampton dressed overall.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Southampton |
| Ordered | 17 March 1976[1] |
| Builder | Vosper Thornycroft |
| Laid down | 21 October 1976 |
| Launched | 29 January 1979 |
| Commissioned | 31 October 1981 |
| Decommissioned | 12 February 2009 |
| Homeport | HMNB Portsmouth |
| Identification |
|
| Motto |
|
| Nickname(s) | "The Mighty Ninety" (after her pennant number). |
| Fate | Sold for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type 42 destroyer |
| Displacement | 4,820 tonnes |
| Length | 125 m (410 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 14.3 m (46 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Complement | 287 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Westland Lynx HMA8 |
Operational service edit
1981–2005 edit
In 1982, Southampton ran over one of the Shambles Buoys off Portland during the final Thursday War intended to prepare her to deploy to the Falklands. The collision sank the buoy and resulted in a period in dry dock for repair. I served onboard from September 1983 and the incident with the Shambles bouy was October/November 1983 after repairs we left for six months deployment as Falklands guard ship. On 3 September 1988, whilst serving on the Armilla Patrol, she was involved in a collision with MV Tor Bay, a container ship in the convoy being escorted through the Straits of Hormuz. Three members of her crew were slightly injured and a 10-metre (33 ft) hole torn in Southampton's hull. The destroyer was returned to the UK aboard a semi-submersible heavy lift ship.[2][3]
2006–2011 edit
On 3 February 2006, the ship was involved in the seizing of 3.5 tonnes (3.4 long tons; 3.9 short tons) of cocaine in the Caribbean.[4]
Fate edit
On 31 July 2008, Southampton was placed in a state of "Extended Readiness" and was decommissioned on 12 February 2009.[5] The ship was auctioned on 28 March 2011 and was later towed from Portsmouth on 14 October 2011 to Leyal Ship Recycling's scrapyard in Aliağa, Turkey.[6]
Affiliations edit
- The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)[7]
- No. 25 Squadron RAF[7]
- City of Southampton[7]
- Worshipful Company of Fletchers[7]
- Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire[7]
- Canford School Combined Cadet Force[7]
- Mill Hill School[7]
- Old Southamptons (veterans of the previous HMS Southampton)[7]
- Royal Southampton Yacht Club[7]
- Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce and Industry[7]
- Southampton University Royal Naval Unit[7]
- TS Southampton (Sea Cadet Corps)[7]
- Royal Naval Association Southampton[7]
- Southampton RN Officers Association[7]
References edit
- ^ "Service Men (Rehabilitation)".
- ^ "Collision involving HMS Southampton". 26 April 2009. FOI request for the Board of Inquiry report
- ^ Sturton, Ian (1989). "The Naval Year in Review: F (ii). Major Casualties at Sea From 1 April 1988 to 30 April 1989". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1989. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 247. ISBN 0-85177-530-6.
- ^ "UK ships seize £350m drugs cache". BBC News. 3 February 2006.
- ^ "HMS Southampton bows out after 28 years". Daily Echo. 11 February 2009.
- ^ "Carrier HMS Ark Royal put up for auction on MoD website". BBC News. 28 March 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "List of HMS Southampton Affiliations - RN Website". Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2008.
External links edit
Media related to HMS Southampton (D90) at Wikimedia Commons
- Royal Navy website: HMS Southampton