The third and current HMS ''Argyll'' is a Type 23 Duke-class frigate. She is currently the oldest serving Type 23 frigate in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. Like all of her class she is named after a British dukedom, in this case that of

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

. HMS ''Argyll'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in March 1987 by

Yarrow Shipbuilders Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited (YSL), often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde. It is now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships, owned by BAE Systems, which has also op ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and launched in 1989 by Lady Wendy Levene, sponsored by the

Worshipful Company of Paviors The Worshipful Company of Paviors is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The Paviors can trace their history back to medieval times; they were responsible for the paving and maintenance of London's streets. It received a royal ch ...

. She was commissioned in May 1991. ''Argyll'' is currently based at HMNB Devonport. ''Argyll'' is the first Type 23 to be fitted with the new

Sea Ceptor The CAMM (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile) is a family of surface-to-air missiles developed by MBDA UK for the United Kingdom. CAMM shares some common features and components with the ASRAAM air-to-air missile, but with updated electronics and an ...

missile system. She had been scheduled to be withdrawn from service in 2023. However, in 2021 in a written answer provided to the House of Commons Select Defence Committee, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin, suggested that older Type 23 frigates would be retained in service longer than anticipated in order to ensure that total escort numbers did not fall below 17 ships (6 destroyers and 11 frigates) and start to rise above 19 escorts starting in 2026. If confirmed, this would mean that the older Type 23 frigates, such as ''Argyll'', would have their anticipated service lives extended significantly.

Operational history

1991–2000

On 26 March 1994, ''Argyll's'' Lynx helicopter crashed into the sea off

Andros Island Andros Island is an archipelago within the Bahamas, the largest of the Bahamian Islands. Politically considered a single island, Andros in total has an area greater than all the other 700 Bahamian islands combined. The land area of Andros consis ...

in the West Indies while practising for an air display. The crew escaped and were rescued but the aircraft was unrecoverable after sinking in 5,000ft of water. In 2000, ''Argyll'' was part of the

task force – Task Group 342.01 – comprising , , , , and four RFA ships – that deployed to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

as part of the

British military intervention in the Sierra Leone civil war The United Kingdom began a military intervention in Sierra Leone on 7 May 2000 under the codename Operation Palliser. Although small numbers of British personnel had been deployed previously, Palliser was the first large-scale intervention by ...

. During those operations, ''Argyll'' acted as the West African Guardship and remained off West Africa until September 2000. Throughout this period ''Argyll'' operated with her Lynx HMA Mk 8 helicopter. The Lynx undertook daily patrols and searches. The Lynx was instrumental to the successful completion of Operation Barras. During her deployment, the helicopter was scrambled to search for a missing passenger ferry. The aircraft's crew quickly located the vessel and provided escort for ''Argyll''. ''Argyll'' saved fifty-eight lives from drowning. She was relieved by her sister-ship in September. During this incident ''Argyll'', assisted by HMS ''Ocean'', laid the foundation for the Iron Duke Community School. This is a school for orphans in Freetown. President Kabbah of

decreed the school be named after the crew of for completing the construction of the six classrooms.

2001–2010

In 2001, while in the Bay of Biscay, ''Argyll'' suffered an electrical fire that was quickly put out by the ship's damage control team, with the ship suffering only minimal damage. ''Argyll'' completed a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf protecting two oil platforms, working with the American, Australian and Iraqi Navies from February to August 2005. The ship made a short visit to Boulogne, then to its home port of

Inveraray Inveraray ( or ; gd, Inbhir Aora meaning "mouth of the Aray") is a town in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is a former royal burgh, the traditional county town of Arg ...

and finally to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

, before undergoing Operational Sea Trials. ''Argyll'' successfully completed Operational Sea Training and acted as a contingency platform whilst

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

spent a week sailing on the in July 2006. In September 2006 ''Argyll'' was deployed along with other ships such as and where she completed two drugs raids on merchant ships totalling . They completed their operation in November of the same year. In October 2007 ''Argyll'' returned to the Persian Gulf to take over from her sister-ship, . Thursday 3 April 2008 saw more than 500 friends and relatives welcome HMS ''Argyll'' as she returned to her home at Devonport after a deployment lasting six months in the Northern Persian Gulf. This was ''Argyll''s second Gulf deployment to Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 in three years. This deployment included one patrol which lasted 52 days from January to March 2008. HMS ''Argyll'' was also at the 'Meet Your Navy' exhibition at HMNB Portsmouth 2008. 6 May 2008 saw the crew return to ''Argyll'', with the crew bidding their commanding officer of seven months, Commander Gavin Pritchard, a fond farewell. Pritchard was succeeded by Commander Peter Olive. ''Argyll'' was then to engage in a period of trials and training before entering a period of maintenance in June. 11 May 2008 saw the Trans-Atlantic solo yacht race in Plymouth Sound started by the ceremonial cannon aboard ''Argyll''. Dame

Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur (born 8 July 1976) is a retired English sailor, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, Isle of Wight. MacArthur is a successful solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005, ...

also attended the start of the race and Rear Admiral Richard Ibbotson, head of the Flag Officer Sea Training organisation, was also on board ''Argyll''. On 21 July 2008 ''Argyll'' led the parade of

tall ships A tall ship is a large, traditionally- rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or ...

out of Liverpool ahead of the Tall Ships Race starting 23 July. On 18 February 2009, ''Argyll'' sailed from Devonport as part of the Taurus 09 deployment under Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson, She was joined on this deployment by Landing Platform Dock , as Hudson's flagship, Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) ,

Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...

and four ships of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

. ''Argyll'' returned to Devonport on 17 April from this deployment. In early October 2010, ''Argyll'' and her crew arrived in Plymouth last week after an 11-month refit which included 290,000-man-hours spent on modifications, upgrades and improvements." She has received a new command system, upgrades to Sea Wolf, the Mod1 4.5-inch (114mm) gun, and mounts for new small calibre guns. She was also given new boat-launching equipment. "The refit included the replacing of two of the vessel's four diesel generators and one of her gas turbine engines." Her ventilation system has been improved. "Along with fresh paint on the upper decks she has been coated below the waterline with a special paint to prevent the build-up of sea life which would slow the ship. This also makes her more fuel-efficient." HMS ''Argyll'' was the first Type 23 frigate to undergo a second major refit.

From 2011

On Sunday 22 January 2012 it was announced that ''Argyll'' was part of a six-ship convoy which sailed through the Strait of Hormuz alongside French and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

vessels, during a diplomatic dispute with Iran. In a period after this she engaged in Exercise 'Goalkeeper' whilst still in the Middle East. On 30 June 2012,

Armed Forces Day Many nations around the world observe some kind of Armed Forces Day to honor their military forces. This day is not to be confused with Veterans Day or Memorial Day. Africa Egypt In Egypt, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on 6 October, ...

, she fired the salute in Plymouth as part of a steampast alongside , the

Earl of Wessex Earl of Wessex is a title that has been created twice in British history – once in the pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon nobility of England, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. In the 6th century AD the region of Wessex (the lands of the We ...

was in attendance alongside the

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

. In 2013, she served a seven-month deployment to the Atlantic, having visited South Africa. She also engaged in counter-narcotics work in the Eastern Pacific by travelling around

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...

and headed back to her home port via the Panama Canal. In March 2014, she accidentally fired a test (unarmed) torpedo whilst training at Devonport, there were no injuries and minimal damage. On 30 June 2014, she arrived in Hamilton, Bermuda for a three-day visit as part of her deployment to the North Atlantic and Caribbean. She arrived in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland, US on 11 September 2014 to participate in ceremonies commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. On Thursday 25 September 2014, she arrived in

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

. On 6 October 2014, HMS ''Argyll'' visited George Town, Grand Cayman, after having been on counter-narcotics deployment in August 2014 as part of

Operation Martillo Operation Martillo is an ongoing multi-national anti-drug operation that began on 15 January 2012, and "aims to combat international Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking, and promote peace, stability in Central America, Central and South America" ...

. From 9 to 13 October 2014 HMS ''Argyll'' paid an official visit to the Dominican Republic during the course of which her flight deck hosted the baptism of Stefania Rozsa, daughter of the British Ambassador. On 18 October 2014, she arrived in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

to provide assistance in the aftermath of

Hurricane Gonzalo Hurricane Gonzalo was the second tropical cyclone, after Hurricane Fay, to directly strike the island of Bermuda in a one-week time frame in October 2014, and was the first Category4 Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Ophelia in 2011. At the t ...

. In 2014, a Lynx from ''Argyll'' identified a suspicious yacht in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

, and a detachment of the

U.S. Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...

operating from ''Argyll'' seized $16 million worth of cocaine found on the yacht. The group had seized an even larger shipment earlier on the same deployment. In 2015, ''Argyll'' underwent an extended Life Extension (LIFEX) refit in Devonport; she returned to sea in February 2017 with a new principal weapon system,

, and numerous modifications and alterations to her accommodation and working spaces. ''Argyll'' acted as the trials vessel for Sea Ceptor prior to resuming her operational duties and it was announced in September 2017 that she had undertaken the first firings of the new system earlier in the summer off the west coast of Scotland. In 2017, it was announced that ''Argyll'' would be sent to join military exercises in the Asia Pacific with the

Five Power Defence Arrangements The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) are a series of bilateral defence relationships established by a series of multi-lateral agreements between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, all of which are Commonwe ...

partners and also the

Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

. Part of her mission is "to continue the pressure campaign on North Korea". On 11 March 2019, ''Argyll'' rescued a 27-strong crew from a burning container vessel

Grande America ''Grande America'' was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship built by Fincantieri in 1997, owned and operated by Grimaldi Lines, a subsidiary of Grimaldi Group. It sank in the Bay of Biscay in March 2019. Sinking On 10 March 2019, ''Grande America'' ...

150 miles off the coast of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. On 15 March 2019 the ship returned to HMNB Devonport after a nine-month deployment to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. On 11 September 2019 it demonstrated the use of an autonomous PAC24

unmanned surface vehicle Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), also known as unmanned surface vessels, autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in some cases, uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or colloquially drone ships, or robot boats, are boats or ships that operate on the ...

, a modified version of the boat the ship already carries, at the Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 exhibition. Also involved in the demonstration was an additional autonomous boat: the MAST-13. In May 2022, ''Argyll'' became the first Type 23 to have undergone a LIFEX refit to undergo a subsequent major upkeep period, which saw the ship dry-docked for an extended period to enable it to be retained in service until around 2027-28, when it is intended to be replaced by either or .

Related images

File:HMS Argyll (F231) with Senegalese patrol vessel in 2013.jpg, HMS ''Argyll'' off Senegal, in 2013 File:Navydays Zeebrugge HMS Argyll 12-07-2009 17-12-03.jpg, HMS ''Argyll'' during Navydays Zeebrugge 2009 File:HMS_Argyll_GWS60_Harpoon_Missile_system_12-07-2009_17-04-43.jpg,

Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal ...

anti-ship missiles on ''Argyll'' File:Navydays_Zeebrugge_HMS_Argyll_12-07-2009_17-02-20.jpg, 4.5-inch Mark 8 naval gun on board ''Argyll''

Affiliations

HMS ''Argyll'' is affiliated with: * His Grace, The Duke of Argyll *

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

, 5th Battalion

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland is the senior and only Scottish line infantry regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (formerly five) and two reserve battalions, plus an incremental company, each formerly an indiv ...

* No. 47 Squadron RAF * Argyll and Bute District Council *

City of Glasgow Glasgow City Council is the local government authority for the City of Glasgow, Scotland. It was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, largely with the boundaries of the post-1975 City of Glasgow district of th ...

Plymouth Argyle F.C. Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

* Lady Levene, the ship's sponsor *

RNR The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

* Royal Naval Club, Argyll * Royal Naval Association Stirling * TS ''Argyll'' – Irvine & District Sea Cadets * City of London Sea Cadets * Mount Kelly,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

Dollar Academy Dollar Academy, founded in 1818 by John McNabb, is an independent co-educational day and boarding school in Scotland. The open campus occupies a site in the centre of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, at the foot of the Ochil Hills. Overview As of 20 ...

Clackmannanshire Clackmannanshire (; sco, Clackmannanshire; gd, Siorrachd Chlach Mhannainn) is a historic county, council area, registration county and Lieutenancy area in Scotland, bordering the council areas of Stirling, Fife, and Perth & Kinross and the ...

High School of Glasgow The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school in Glasgow, Scotland. The original High School of Glasgow was founded as the choir school of Glasgow Cathedral in around 1124, and is the oldest school in Scotland, and the ...

* Argyll Ward, Derriford Hospital In July 2017,

GB Railfreight GB Railfreight (GBRf) is a rail freight company in the United Kingdom. As of 2022, it is owned by the global investment company Infracapital. GB Railfreight was established in April 1999 as the rail freight operating subsidiary of the train o ...

named a Class 66 locomotive ''Argyll'' in honour of HMS ''Argyll'' in a ceremony at Devonport.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Argyll (F231) Frigates of the United Kingdom History of Argyll and Bute Ships built on the River Clyde 1989 ships Type 23 frigates of the Royal Navy