HMS Newcastle (D87)

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--90.200.25.80 15:04, 25 March 2007 (UTC){| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" |colspan="2"| |- !style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Career !style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"| |- |Ordered: | |- |Laid down: |21 February 1973 |- |Launched: |24 April 1975 |- |Commissioned: |23 March 1978 |- |Decommissioned: |1 February 2005 |- |Fate: |Awaiting Disposal |- |Struck: | |- !colspan="2" align="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|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: |287–312 |- |Armament: |Twin Sea Dart missile launcher
114 mm (4.5 inch) Mk 8 gun
2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons
2 × Phalanx close in weapons system
2 × Triple anti submarine torpedo tubes
NATO Seagnat and DLF3 Decoy Launchers |- |Aircraft: |Lynx HMA8 |- |Motto: | |}

The eighth and current HMS Newcastle (D87) is a retired Type 42 (Batch 1) destroyer of the Royal Navy, launched in 1973. The Batch 1 ships are much smaller than the Batch 3 ships of the same class.

In 1998, Newcastle made her way to the British territory of Montserrat to assist the population, a few months after a devastating volcanic eruption, who were rather distressed and in need of outside assistance. HMS Liverpool had been the first ship to come to the aid of the people of Montserrat.

In 1999, Newcastle escorted HMS Invincible during the Kosovo War, in which Invincible performed with distinction, launching precise and deadly attacks on Serbian targets. Newcastle took part in six-month Atlantic Patrol Deployment in 2002. During this deployment, she visited Sierra Leone to display the continuing UK commitment to that country. She was the longest serving Type 42 in Royal Navy service, and speculation has been rife that four Type 42s would be either decommissioned or mothballed. Despite this in January 2004, Newcastle deployed to the Mediterranean for a 6 to 7-month tour of duty.

It was announced in July 2004, as part of the Delivering Security in a Changing World review, that Newcastle would be decommissoned in January 2005. Newcastle was finally decommissioned on 1 February 2005 and placed into inactive reserve.

HMS Newcastle was the adopted ship of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Her captain and crew were awarded the freedom of the city, and she was often referred to as the greatGeordie Gunboat.

See HMS Newcastle for other ships of the name.

Type 42 destroyer

Royal Navy