HMS Montrose (F236)

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Career RN Ensign
Ordered: July 1988
Laid down: 1 November 1989
Launched: 31 July 1992
Commissioned: 2 June 1994
Decommissioned:
Fate: Active in service as of 2006.
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement: 4,900 tonnes
Length: 133 m (463 ft)
Beam: 16.1 m (52.9 ft)
Draught: 7.3 m
Propulsion: CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas)
2 Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas-turbines
4 Paxman Valenta diesel engines
2 GEC electric motors
Speed: 28 knots, 15 knots on diesel-electric
Range: 7,800 miles at 15 knots
Complement: 185
Armament: 2 ASuW Harpoon quad launchers
Vertical launch system Sea Wolf missiles
BAE 4.5 inch (110 mm) Mk 8 gun
2 Oerlikon 30 mm guns
4 Sting Ray torpedo tubes
Seagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers
Aircraft: Lynx HMA8
Motto: " Mare ditat rosa decorat" (The sea enriches and the rose adorns)
Badge: Image:Montrose_Badge.jpg

The second and current HMS Montrose (F236) is the eighth of a sixteen ship class of frigates, known as Type 23 or the Duke class, of the Royal Navy. She was laid down in November 1989 by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde. She was launched by Mrs M L Rifkind, wife of the then Secretary of State for Defence Sir Malcolm Rifkind on the on 31 July 1992 and commissioned in June 1994 at Devonport Dockyard.

The ship was once under the command of the husband of The Princess Royal, Captain Timothy Laurence.

In early 2002, while Montrose was on Atlantic Patrol (South), divers from Montrose replaced the White Ensign on Antelope, which was sunk during the Falklands War. Montrose was later relieved by the destroyer Newcastle, and once the frigate returned to Britain from the deployment, she was placed in extended refit, which was completed in early January 2004 and undertook a diverse array of extensive training. In July Montrose arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium to take part in the Belgian Navy Days. The following month Montrose took part in the Navy Days at Devonport Dockyard.

In October 2004, Montrose was one of a number of a ships that was dispatched to the rescue of the stricken Canadian submarine Chicoutimi which had suffered a number of fires onboard, causing casualties and the loss of power in the submarine. She had only been handed over to the Canadians a week prior to the incident and was the last of the four ex-RN Upholder-class submarines to be transferred to Canadian service and was on her way from Faslane Naval Base to Canada. Montrose was the first RN vessel to make contact with the boat and assisted the submarine.

Montrose is attached to the Devonport Flotilla, based in Plymouth.

See HMS Montrose for other ships of the name.

Type 23 frigate
Norfolk | Argyll | Lancaster | Marlborough | Iron Duke | Monmouth | Montrose | Westminster | Northumberland | Richmond | Somerset | Grafton | Sutherland | Kent | Portland | St Albans

List of frigates of the Royal Navy