HMS Exeter (D89)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 HMS Exeter in the River Thames, sailing downstream past Limehouse, London. |
|
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Exeter |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Laid down: | 22 July 1976 |
| Launched: | 25 April 1978 |
| Commissioned: | 19 September 1980 |
| Motto: | Semper Fidelis ("Always faithful") |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2008 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type 42 destroyer |
| Displacement: | 4,820 tonnes |
| Length: | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.3 m (47 ft) |
| Propulsion: | COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) turbines, 2 shafts 2 turbines producing 36 MW |
| Speed: | 28.7 knots (56 km/h) |
| Complement: | 287 |
| Armament: | Sea Dart missiles (removed as of November 2007) 4.5 in (114 mm) Mk 8 gun |
| Aircraft carried: | Lynx HMA8 |
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 discernible 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 four Argentine aircraft[1], 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 attended Falklands 25th anniversary commemorations at Newquay, Cornwall in 2007, as the last remaining Royal Navy ship in commission to have served in the Falklands.[1]
In 2006, Exeter took part in Exercise Cold Response[2], returning to Portsmouth and then departing again on 27 November 2006. On 27 May 2008 she was anchored in the Thames to host the launch of the Bond novel Devil May Care.[3]
[edit] Affiliations
[edit] References
- ^ 30th May: two A-4C, 7th June: one Learjet and 13th June: one Canberra; all with Sea Dart missiles
- ^ News & Events - Exeter comes in from the cold. RoyalNavy.mod.uk.
- ^ "New Bond novel launched in style", BBC News, 27 May 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||
