Decommissioned Royal Navy ship HMS Iron Duke being towed to Portsmouth after being stripped of weapons - when
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She was officially retired in the summer of this year after
A retired Royal Navy frigate is being towed to Portsmouth after being removed from the fleet earlier this year.
HMS Iron Duke is bring brought to HMNB Portsmouth tomorrow afternoon (October 20). According to the King’s Harbour Master shipping movements, she’ll be taken past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth at around 1.15pm.
Under the escort of tug boat En Avant 10, as well as Bountiful and Indulgent, she’ll be taken to the Victory Jetty. She’ll be joining her sister ship HMS Richmond, brought to the base last week.
The frigate is being prepared for disposal and will eventually be scrapped. Both Type 23 frigates, alongside the Hunt-class minehunter HMS Chiddingfold, were decommissioned in July this year as they were too uneconomical to repair.
Issuing a statement at the time, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse said: “HMS Richmond, HMS Iron Duke and HMS Chiddingfold have each played a key role in safeguarding the UK’s security and interests worldwide.
“As they are retired from service, their legacy continues through the next generation of warships and advanced autonomous systems. This marks a significant step in the Royal Navy’s evolution towards a Hybrid Navy, combining cutting-edge technology with proven capability to meet future maritime challenges. We honour their service and look forward to the advantage the future fleet will provide.”
Specialist publication Navy Lookout said HMS Iron Duke was stripped of her weapons and sensors earlier this year. Planned upgrades for the frigate were cancelled due to financial constraints.
In last year’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) annual report and accounts, the project to convert the Duke-class frigate was scrapped at the cost of £4.76m. All Duke-class ships are set to be replaced with more advanced Type 26 and 31 alternatives, but these are years away from entering the Royal Navy fleet.
The force currently has just five frigates at its disposal. HMS Iron Duke, commissioned in 1993, was mainly used to track and monitor the activities of Russian warships in the latter years of her career. In the summer of 2008, Prince William served on the frigate during a two-month attachment. His Royal Highness was part of operations in the Caribbean and North Atlantic.