HMS Birmingham (D86)

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Career

Ordered:
Laid down:	28 March 1972
Launched:	30 July 1973
Commissioned:	3 December 1976
Decommissioned:	31 December 1999
Fate:	Sold for scrap on 20 October 2000.
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,820 tonnes
Length:	125 m (410 ft)
Beam:	14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught:	5.8 m
Propulsion:	4 Rolls-Royce (2 Olympus and 2 Tyne) producing 36 MW COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) arrangement
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	287
Armament:	Sea Dart missiles 114 mm (4.5 in) Mk 8 gun
Aircraft:	Lynx HMA8
Motto:

HMS Birmingham (D86) was a Type 42 destroyer laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 28 March 1972, launched on 30 July 1973 by Lady Empson, wife of Sir Derek Empson and commissioned on 3 December 1976.

She was named for the city of Birmingham, England.

"The Brum" spent much of her useful life as Fleet Contingency Ship (FCS 1) and spent considerable time in the post-Falklands conflict patrol role. In 1984 she patrolled the Falklands and acted as a radar picket ship along with HMS Broadsword and the rapidly ageing HMS Ajax. In 1985 she took part in the StanNavForMed (Standing Naval Force Mediterranean), calling at Gibraltar, Palma de Mallorca, Naples, & Messina. On completion of de-ammunitioning at Rosyth and being sent for a disastrous refit at Rosyth dockyard, she never really recovered and was towed from the Firth of Forth dead in the water when leaving refit. She was steamed (gassed) to Portsmouth to effect repairs later in 1988. Birmingham paid off at Portsmouth on 10 December 1999, was towed to Devonport and stripped of all usable equipment, returned to Portsmouth in May 2000, sold for scrap and left Portsmouth under tow for Spain on 20 October 2000.