HMS ''Yarmouth'' was the first modified
Type 12 frigate
Type 12 frigate refers to several ship classes, most commonly the three ship classes of the Royal Navy designed during the 1950s and constructed during the 1960s.
* The first Type 12 frigates, designed as convoy escorts, were later named the . Six ...
of the
''Rothesay'' class to enter service with 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 F ...
.
She was rammed in the
Third Cod War by the
Icelandic gunboat ''
Baldur
Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was k ...
'' and had to limp away from the patrol area for repairs.
During the
Falklands War
The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
, ''Yarmouth'' took part in the only ship to ship engagement of the war, when she and
HMS ''Brilliant'' shelled the Argentine coaster ARA ''Monsunen''. In the last action of the conflict, ''Yarmouth'' and
HMS ''Endurance'' recaptured the
South Sandwich Islands
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type =
, song =
, image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg
, map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...
.
Design
The ''Rothesay''-class was an improved version of the
''Whitby''-class anti-submarine frigate, with nine ''Rothesay''s ordered in the 1954–55 shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy to supplement the six ''Whitby''s.
''Yarmouth'' was
long overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
and
between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...
, with a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a
draught of .
The ''Rothesay''s were powered by the same Y-100 machinery used by the ''Whitby''-class. Two
Babcock & Wilcox
Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...
water-tube boiler
A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gene ...
s fed steam at and to two sets of geared
steam turbine
A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...
s which drove two propeller shafts, fitted with large ( diameter) slow-turning propellers. The machinery was rated at , giving a speed of .
Crew was about 212 officers and men.
A twin
4.5-inch (113 mm) Mark 6 gun mount was fitted forward, with 350 rounds of ammunition carried. It was originally intended to fit a twin
40 mm L/70 Bofors anti-aircraft mount aft, but in 1957 it was decided to fit the
Seacat Seacat may refer to:
* Seacat missile, a short-range surface-to-air missile system
* SeaCat (1992–2004), ferry company formerly operating from between Northern Ireland, Scotland and England
* The Sea-Cat, an imaginary monster from Flann O'Brien's ...
anti-aircraft missile instead. Seacat was not yet ready, and ''Yarmouth'' was completed with a single
L/60 40 mm Bofors mount aft as a temporary anti-aircraft armament.
The design anti-submarine armament consisted of twelve 21-inch torpedo-tubes (eight fixed and two twin rotating mounts) for
Mark 20E Bidder homing anti-submarine torpedoes, backed up by two
Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
anti-submarine mortars fitted aft. The Bidder homing torpedoes proved unsuccessful however, being too slow to catch modern submarines, and the torpedo tubes were soon removed.
The ship was fitted with a
Type 293Q surface/air search radar on the
foremast
The mast of a Sailing ship, sailing vessel is a tall spar (sailing), spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessa ...
, with a
Type 277 height-finding radar on a short mast forward of the foremast. A Mark 6M fire control system (including a Type 275 radar) for the 4.5 inch guns was mounted above the ship's bridge, while a Type 974 navigation radar was also fitted.
The ship's sonar fit consisted of Type 174 search, Type 170 fire control sonar for Limbo and a Type 162 sonar for classifying targets on the sea floor.
''Yarmouth'' 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 ...
at
John Brown John Brown most often refers to:
*John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859
John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to:
Academia
* John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
's
Clydebank
Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...
dockyard on 29 November 1957, was
launched on 23 March 1959 and completed on 26 March 1960.
Modernisation
From 1966 to 1968 ''Yarmouth'' underwent a major modernisation, which brought the ship close in capacity to the
''Leander''-class.
A hangar and flight deck was added aft to allow a
Westland Wasp
The Westland Wasp is a small 1960s British turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and is based on the earlier piston-e ...
helicopter to be operated, at the expense of one of the Limbo anti-submarine mortars, while a Seacat launcher and the associated GWS20 director was mounted on the hangar roof. Two 20-mm cannons were added either side of the ship's bridge. A MRS3 fire control system replaced the Mark 6M, and its integral Type 903 radar allowed the Type 277 height finder radar to be removed. A Type 993 surface/air-search radar replaced the existing Type 293Q radar, while the ship's defences were enhanced by the addition of the Corvus
chaff
Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...
rocket dispenser.
Operational history
''Yarmouth'' commissioned on 24 March 1960, with the
Pennant number
In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...
F101, and joined the
6th Frigate Squadron
The 6th Frigate Squadron was an administrative unit of the Royal Navy from 1950 to 2002.
History
During its existence, the squadron included , Type 15, , , , and Type 23 frigates.
Ships from the squadron participated in the Coronation Fleet ...
of the Home Fleet as leader. She was refitted at
Devonport from December 1961 to February 1962, then became the leader of the
20th Frigate Squadron at
Londonderry, serving in that role until 1966.
[Royal Navy Senior Appointments, Colin Mackie]
On 13 July 1965 she collided with the submarine
''Tiptoe'', 10 miles south east of
Portland Bill
Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorio ...
. ''Tiptoe'' survived, and was able to make
Gosport
Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...
under her own power, and was repaired at the yards of
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...
. ''Tiptoe''s commanding officer was found guilty of negligence for the accident.
In May 1966 she began a long refit and modernisation at
Portsmouth Dockyard
His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...
. The main alterations were to build a hangar and flight deck for a Wasp Helicopter and to fit
Seacat Seacat may refer to:
* Seacat missile, a short-range surface-to-air missile system
* SeaCat (1992–2004), ferry company formerly operating from between Northern Ireland, Scotland and England
* The Sea-Cat, an imaginary monster from Flann O'Brien's ...
anti-aircraft missiles. She recommissioned on 1 October 1968 for service in the Western Fleet and then in the Far East Fleet. In 1971 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days.
In April 1970 whilst on the Beira Patrol she was diverted to be a long stop for the rescue of
Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (April 1117, 1970) was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the lunar landing was aborted aft ...
. Communications in the Indian Ocean were very poor. The recovery instructions were sent from Houston to Halifax, Nova Scotia where the Royal Canadian Navy sent them by Morse Code to the ship. The recovery manual was taken down by communications ratings, two at a time, with pencil and paper. Luckily the space craft came down amongst a US Navy task force with two aircraft carriers and television cameras in the Pacific Ocean.
On 9 November 1970 the aircraft carrier collided with the Soviet
Kotlin-class destroyer
Kotlin-class destroyers were Cold War era ships built for the Soviet Navy. The Russian name for this class was Project 56 ''Spokoiny'' (Спокойный, "tranquil"). 27 ships were built between 1955 and 1958; they were all decommissioned ...
, ''Bravyy'', which had been shadowing the carrier during exercises in the Mediterranean and cut across the bows of ''Ark Royal'' while the carrier was launching aircraft. Several of ''Bravyy''s crew were washed overboard in the incident with ''Yarmouth'' rescuing two of them, although two of the seven Soviet sailors were lost in the accident.
A few days later, the tanker ''Esso Chile'' suffered an explosion off
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
which had killed one and injured two of the tanker's crew. ''Yarmouth''s helicopter flew a doctor over to ''Esso Chile'' and ferried the wounded to shore for further medical treatment.
Third Cod War
On 28 February 1976, in the course of the
Third Cod War, ''Yarmouth'' collided with
''ICGV Baldur's'' stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
, severely damaging the frigate's
bow, and forcing her to limp away from the patrol area assisted by the Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service tug ''Rollicker''. ''Yarmouth'' underwent repairs at
Chatham
Chatham may refer to:
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Chatham Islands (British Columbia)
* Chatham Sound, British Columbia
* Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi
* Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
, where she was fitted with a new bow section. The heavy damage and pressure on the defense budget saw HMS ''Yarmouth'' offered to the RNZN later in 1976, but the offer was rejected on account of the frigate's age.
Falklands War
She arrived off the Falklands in late April 1982 and began protective escort for the Task Force. On 4 May, when was hit by an
Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical director ...
missile, ''Yarmouth'' provided anti-submarine protection as attempted to fight the fire. After ''Sheffield'' had been abandoned, ''Yarmouth'' took her in tow in order to get her to a safe area. However, after 29 hours the winds rose to
gale force
The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
History
The scale was devised in 1805 by the Irish hydrographer Francis Beaufort ...
and ''Sheffield'' finally sank on 10 May at 7 am.
When the amphibious task force arrived on 19 May, ''Yarmouth'' provided an anti-air and anti-submarine escort as the force moved into
San Carlos Water
San Carlos Water is a bay/fjord on the west coast of East Falkland, facing onto the Falkland Sound.
Name
Despite its Spanish-sounding name, there is a wide discrepancy with the Spanish usage, for in Spanish "Estrecho de San Carlos" refers to ...
as part of
Operation Sutton
Operation Sutton was the code name for the British landings on the shores of San Carlos Water, at Ajax Bay and Port San Carlos, near San Carlos on East Falkland.
Landings
During the night, 3 Commando Brigade along with attached units of the ...
. On 21 May when was hit and set on fire by Argentinian Skyhawks, Yarmouth rescued the crew of the stricken ship and later transferred them to the
SS ''Canberra''. For the next ten days she continued to act in an air defence role during the
battle of San Carlos by day, but by night operated a variety of missions including shore bombardment, anti-submarine patrols, covert operations and escorting merchant ships to and from the landing area.
In the early hours of 23 May, along with , she intercepted and engaged the Argentine coaster ARA ''Monsunen'' with her
4.5" guns west of
Lively Island
Lively Island ( es, Isla Bougainville) is the largest of the Lively Island Group of the Falkland Islands, The island group lies east of East Falkland. Lively Island is the largest rat-free island in the Falklands, hence its importance to birdli ...
; the coaster evaded capture by running aground at Seal Cove.
On 25 May ''Yarmouth'' claimed to have shot down an
A-4C Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed a ...
(C-319), flown by Teniente Tomás Lucero, with her
Sea Cat missile system, although this aircraft was subjected to the full force of the
San Carlos' air defences, with other claims from
Rapier
A rapier () or is a type of sword with a slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade that was popular in Western Europe, both for civilian use (dueling and self-defense) and as a military side arm, throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
Impor ...
,
Blowpipe and ship-based
gunfire
A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharge ...
. Lucero ejected and was recovered by .
After two days of maintenance in the repair area, she returned to bombardment duties beginning on 6 June. These she carried out by night while by day she travelled some 200 miles back to the task force to replenish fuel and ammunition. During one of these missions, she came across a small coaster whose propeller had become fouled with rope while ferrying
Gurkha
The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India.
The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...
s and supplies to
Goose Green
Goose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 40, it is the third-largest s ...
. Her diving team managed to free the ship. On another occasion she gave firefighting and medical assistance to when the destroyer was hit by a land-based Exocet.
On 13–14 June, she and shelled Argentine positions during the
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement during the Falklands War. The engagement was an attack by the British Army and the Royal Marines on the heights over-looking Stanley, the Falkland Islands capital. Mount Tumbledown, Mount Willi ...
. During the war, she fired over 1,000
shells from her main guns, mostly during shore bombardment, and 58 anti-submarine
Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
mortar rounds.
After the Argentine surrender of the Falkland Islands, ''Yarmouth'',
HMS ''Endurance'',
RFA ''Olmeda'' and the tug ''Salvageman'' sailed to the South Sandwich Islands where Argentina had established a base in
South Thule since 1976. Following a demonstration of the ''Yarmouths guns, the ten Argentine military personnel surrendered.
Before leaving South Thule, ''Yarmouth'' was refuelled by the RFA ''Olmeda'' on 21 June, which may have been the most southerly
RAS(L) in the history of the Royal Navy.
Decommissioning
She was decommissioned on 30 April 1986, and in 1987 towed out to the North Atlantic and sunk by weapons from in that year's
SinkEx
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammuniti ...
on 16 June 1987.
Commanding officers
Notes
References
Publications
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*
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*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
HMS ''Yarmouth''- a former crewmembers' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarmouth (F101)
Rothesay-class frigates
Ships of the Fishery Protection Squadron of the United Kingdom
Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom
1959 ships
Maritime incidents in 1965
Maritime incidents in 1976
Maritime incidents in 1987
Ships sunk as targets
Shipwrecks in the North Sea