"Unseaworthy" decommissioned Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland towed into Portsmouth as future uncertain

The former Duke-class vessel HMS Northumberland sailed towards HMNB Portsmouth at 10.18am. Sailors operating the Camperdown tug boat pulled the Type 23 ship past The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth, with the vessels SD Christina and Independent alongside her.

Naval enthusiasts gathered to take pictures of the vessel for what could be her last visit to Portsmouth. Reports suggest that she may be scrapped after being deemed too uneconomical to repair. Such a fate was handed to her sister ship HMS Monmouth in April after being sold to a Turkish recycling firm.

Other Type 23 frigates which have been retired include HMS Norfolk and HMS Malborough - both in 2005 - HMS Grafton in 2006, HMS Montrose in 2023, HMS Argyll in 2024 and HMS Westminster in the same year. Many are awaiting disposal with no official plans as of yet.

Why was HMS Northumberland decommissioned?

Defence secretary John Healey announced to parliament on November 20 last year that HMS Northumberland would be retired from the Royal Navy fleet. This was alongside both Landing Platform Docks, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, as well as two Wave-class tankers and other capabilities.

The Labour MP for Rawmarsh and Conisbrough said HMS Northumberland was “a frigate with structural damage which makes her uneconomical to repair.” Summarising the decision, he added: “I recognise these will mean a lot to many who have sailed and flown in them during their deployments around the world. They have provided a valuable capability over the years, but their work is done and we must look now to the future.”

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Magowan KCB CBE echoed the politician’s decision in a defence select committee meeting in December. He said: “In terms of the six retirements, the secretary of state outlined to the house the implications of that. Three of those involved vessels that were no longer seaworthy, so we were spending money against capabilities that were never going to be used operationally. There was a pretty strong case with regards to those three classes of ship.”

Construction of replacements have been ongoing for a number of years. The first Type 31 Inspiration-class frigate, HMS Venturer, was unveiled to the public for the first time on Tuesday (May 27). Type 26 City-class anti-submarine frigates are also being produced to replace the Type 23s.