HMS Norfolk

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Six ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Norfolk, from an 80-gun third-rate to today's powerful and sleek Type 23 frigate. The Norfolk motto is Serviens servo ("serving, I preserve"). The ships are named after the Duke of Norfolk or the county of Norfolk.

• The first Norfolk was an 80-gun third-rate, named after Henry Howard, 7th Duke of Norfolk. She was built at Southampton and launched in 1693.
• The second Norfolk was a slightly larger 74-gun third-rate, displacing 1,556 tons. She was launched on 8 December 1757 at Deptford.
• Little details are known of the third Norfolk. There are a small number of ships logs which state that she was a cutter that was hired by the Royal Navy.
• The fourth Norfolk (78) was a County-class heavy cruiser. She was commissioned on 30th April 1930. Norfolk was involved in many famous encounters during WWII, and was scrapped in 1950.
• The fifth Norfolk (D21) was commissioned in March 1970. She was a County-class destroyer. She was sold to Chile in 1982, renamed Almirante Prat. She was retired from the Chilean surface fleet in February 2006, and is scheduled to be decommissioned.
• The sixth and current HMS Norfolk (F230) was commissioned in November 1989, and was the first of the Type 23 or 'Duke' Class frigates. The vessel was sold to Chile and will be renamed Almirante Cochrane in November of 2006 (handover ceremony took place in Portsmouth on Wednesday 22nd November 2006).

Battle Honours

Velez Malaga 1704, Cartagena 1741, Toulon 1744, Pondicherry 1760, Manila 1761, Atlantic 1941 Bismarck 1941, Arctic 1941-43, North Africa 1942, North Cape 1943, Norway 1945