HMS Queen Elizabeth: Submarine-hunting frigate HMS Richmond put through her paces with new engine ahead of QE bodyguarding role

SAILORS on a frigate that will one day defend the Royal Navy’s future flagship from submarine attack have been honing their warfighting skills at sea while testing out a new engine system.
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HMS Richmond is one of the vessels earmarked to protect Portsmouth-based aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment next year.

And as naval personnel from across the Senior Service hit the frontline to support the NHS during the coronavirus outbreak, the men and women of Richmond have been working hard at sea readying for their mission.

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The frigate has spent the past six weeks undergoing trials and training after a major overhaul in readiness to become one of the £3.1bn supercarrier’s bodyguards.

HMS Richmond in action in the Channel. Photo: Royal NavyHMS Richmond in action in the Channel. Photo: Royal Navy
HMS Richmond in action in the Channel. Photo: Royal Navy
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Commander Hugh Botterill, Richmond’s skipper, said that although his ship was focused on being ready for standard frigate duties, that his crew also stood ready to help their nation.

‘We live in extraordinary times. As the country is held in the grips of coronavirus, Richmond has been challenged to generate in increasingly-testing conditions so that Her Majesty’s government will have another frigate in her armoury for whatever the future holds,’ he said.

‘As the spread of coronavirus takes a firmer grip on the world, there will no doubt be an ever greater requirement to keep our sea lines of communication open.

HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday, April and heading up to Rosyth, Scotland, for dry-dock maintenance.

Picture: Sarah Standing (010419-4445)HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday, April and heading up to Rosyth, Scotland, for dry-dock maintenance.

Picture: Sarah Standing (010419-4445)
HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday, April and heading up to Rosyth, Scotland, for dry-dock maintenance. Picture: Sarah Standing (010419-4445)
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‘But in the short term, I have a full ship’s company of firefighters and first aiders. So, who knows what will be next for my crew and me, but we are ready for whatever the request is.’

Plymouth-based Richmond completed a lengthy refit in the hands of Babcock in February.

As well as receiving upgrades to her ageing Sea Wolf air defence system, which has been replaced by the more advanced Sea Ceptor system, Richmond has also been fitted with new engines, which will one day feature in the next generation of warships.

Richmond is the first Royal Navy vessel to be fitted with the PGMU propulsion system – a new generation of diesel generators, accompanied by a fully-modernised control and surveillance system, making it easier to control and monitor the engines and diagnose any problems.

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The same system will be used to power eight Type 26 frigates, led by HMS Glasgow, being built as replacements for Richmond and her submarine-hunting sisters.

During her trials in the Channel, the Type 23 endured a battering from Storm Jorge and a 33-degree roll which tested the ‘sea legs’ of the frigate’s 200-strong ship’s company.

She also worked with Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and tested her submarine-hunting towed array sonar – run out of the ship’s stern in a long tube – for the first time in several years.

‘It has been fantastic to get through the work-up period and feel part of an effective team,’ said Engineering Technician William Christopher, one of the sailors who ensured the complex array was successfully tested.

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