HMS Exeter (D89)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 22 July 1976 |
| Launched: | 25 April 1978 |
| Commissioned: | 19 September 1980 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2006. |
| Struck: | |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 4,820 tonnes |
| Length: | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.3 m (47 ft) |
| Draught: | |
| Propulsion: | COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) turbines, 2 shafts 2 turbines producing 36 MW |
| Speed: | 28.7 knots (56 km/h) |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 287 |
| Armament: | Sea Dart missiles 4.5 in (114 mm) Mk 8 gun |
| Aircraft: | Lynx HMA8 |
| Motto: | Semper Fidelis |
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For other ships with the same name, see HMS Exeter.
HMS Exeter (D89) is a Type 42 destroyer, the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to be named Exeter, after the city of Exeter in Devon.
Exeter was the first of the slightly modified 'Batch 2' Type 42 destroyers. This was a mid-build consideration with her later sister ship, HMS Southampton sporting a similar weapons and sensors upgrade with no discernable hull modifications. The weapons and sensors fit was the first grouping of the 1022, 992Q and 1006 radars in a British warship.
Early in her first commission, Exeter sported a turquoise hull; this was an experimental co-polymer paint which was only available in a few non-standard colours at the time. The experiment proved successful and the ship's hull was repainted to standard brick red/black during its first docking period, post Operation Corporate.
Her first few years were to be spent patrolling the North Atlantic and European waters until the then Defence Secretary, John Nott, issued his review of the Armed forces. This severely limited Exeter's future programme.
The ship saw service in the Falklands War shooting down many Argentine aircraft, deploying to the area from the Caribbean after the start of the British invasion operations to replace Sheffield. Exeter also served in Operation Granby, the 1991 Gulf War, under the command of Captain Nigel Essenhigh, Royal Navy, later First Sea Lord. Among her roles was the air defence of the US battleships bombarding enemy positions.
She recently went on exercise in the North Sea during Exercise Cold Response[1], returning to Portsmouth and then departing again on 27th November 2006.
