HMS ''Cornwall'' was a Batch 3

Type 22 frigate The Type 22 frigate also known as the ''Broadsword'' class was a class of frigates built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen were built in total, with production divided into three batches. Initially intended to be anti-submarine warfare fri ...

of 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 ...

. She was the first Batch 3 to be built, and the last to

decommission Decommissioning is a general term for a formal process to remove something from an active status, and may refer to: Infrastructure * Decommissioned offshore * Decommissioned highway * Greenfield status of former industrial sites * Nuclear dec ...

. ''Cornwall'' was based at HMNB Devonport in

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, part of the Devonport Flotilla. She was built 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 ...

and launched by Diana, Princess of Wales at Scotstoun on the River Clyde in October 1985 and commissioned at Falmouth in 1988 by the ship's sponsor, Diana, Princess of Wales (who was also the

Duchess of Cornwall Duchess of Cornwall is a courtesy title held by the wife of the eldest son and heir of the British monarch. The current title-holder is Catherine, wife of William, Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall. Duchesses of Cornwall Until her husband' ...

Service

Originally lead ship (Captain F) of the Devonport-based 8th Frigate Squadron and upon its disbandment in 1993, lead ship of the 2nd Frigate Squadron, HMS ''Cornwall'' had battle honours from

Barfleur Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France. History During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England. * 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the harbour ...

in 1692, the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

in 1914 and the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

in 1915. ''Cornwall'' was affectionately dubbed "the Fighting Ice Cream" by her crew due to her pennant number of F99. She undertook duties in the North and South Atlantic Ocean, Adriatic, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Baltic Seas throughout her time in service, and completed several patrols to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and deployments to the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

. During 1988 and 1989 she was commanded by Captain

Chris Wreford-Brown Christopher Louis Wreford-Brown DSO RN (born August 1945) is a retired British Royal Navy officer. Falklands War He was captain of HM Submarine ''Conqueror'' during the Falklands War, during which ''Conqueror'' attacked and destroyed the Arg ...

. In 1992 she deployed to the West Indies as West Indies Guard ship, visiting Bermuda, Tortola, Belize, The Bahamas, Pensacola, Key West and Curaçao before making her way home up the East Coast of the US and Canada via Norfolk, Boston and Halifax. In 1993 she deployed to the Gulf with a mid-deployment break to Mombasa in Kenya. 1994 saw her return again to the Gulf but this time visiting Singapore, Penang, Tioman Island and Sri Lanka whilst off station. En route back from the Far East, the ship took the opportunity to stop and lay a wreath at the site of the sinking of the previous , a County Class heavy cruiser sunk by Japanese dive bombers in April 1942. Between 1996 and 1998 she was commanded by Captain

Anthony Dymock Vice Admiral Sir Anthony Knox Dymock KBE, CB, FRSA (born 18 July 1949) is a senior British Royal Navy officer. Naval career Educated at Brighton Hove and Sussex Grammar School, University of East Anglia where he graduated in Russian and Philos ...

. In 1996 she served as flagship of 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 ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, during the 300th anniversary celebrations of the Russian Navy, followed by a period as flagship of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Standing Naval Force Atlantic Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) is one of NATO's standing naval maritime immediate reaction forces. SNMG1 consists of four to six destroyers and frigates. Its role is to provide NATO with an immediate operational response capability. Hi ...

. In 2001 she was part of the Royal Navy Task Force engaged in the invasion of Afghanistan. In 2003 she was again committed to Standing Naval Force Atlantic, supporting

Operation Active Endeavour Operation Active Endeavour was a maritime operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea and was designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. It had collateral benefit ...

in the Mediterranean HMS Cornwall F99 July 2006

Following the death of the Princess of Wales in 1997, the role of sponsor was assumed by Mary Holborow, Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. Between 1999 and 2001 she was commanded by Captain Timothy McClement. Ceremonial activities have included acting as flagship for the Battle of the Atlantic

Fleet Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

in 1993, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, and in 2002 delivering a

21-gun salute A 21-gun salute is the most commonly recognized of the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. As naval customs evolved, 21 guns came to be fired for heads of state, or in exceptiona ...

as part of celebrations of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. On 28 January 2006 ''Cornwall'' was rededicated, following a period of docked maintenance, in a ceremony at Falmouth attended by Lady Mary Holborow. On 23 March 2007, fifteen sailors and Royal Marines from HMS ''Cornwall'' were detained by elements of the

Navy of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution The Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ( fa, نیروی دریایی سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, niru-ye daryâyi-e sepâh-e pâsdârân-e enghelâb-e eslâmi; officially abbreviated NEDSA ( fa, ندسا), als ...

following a routine search of a vessel suspected of smuggling, in the vicinity of disputed

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

. In February 2011, while operating in the Gulf of Aden as part of the Combined Maritime Forces, boarding teams from HMS ''Cornwall'' participated in the rescue of five Yemeni fishermen and the capture of 17 Somali pirates from a fishing

dhow Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spo ...

, which had been seized by pirates on 11 November 2010. HMS Cornwall flying her decommissioning pennant as she enters Devonport for the final time

Decommissioning and disposal

On 26 April 2011 she returned to Plymouth for the last time, and decommissioned on 30 June 2011. Her decommissioning pennant was presented to the Davidstow Airfield and Cornwall at War Museum on 5 October 2011. The

ship's bell A ship's bell is a bell on a ship that is used for the indication of time as well as other traditional functions. The bell itself is usually made of brass or bronze, and normally has the ship's name engraved or cast on it. Strikes Timing of s ...

was presented to Truro Cathedral on 18 October 2011. She was later towed to HMNB Portsmouth, where she lay with sister ships HMS ''Cumberland'', HMS ''Campbeltown'', HMS ''Chatham''. All four were put up for sale in January 2013 and in July sold to Swansea Drydocks for demolition. She left Portsmouth, being towed to Swansea, on 24 October 2013. Ships in Portsmouth 10

Should a future ship be named ''Cornwall'', her ship's company will be able to visit Truro to revive the Royal Navy's links with the county and return the Bell to the county's affiliated ship.

Affiliations

''Cornwall'' was affiliated with a number of military and civilian organisations and bodies: * County of Cornwall * HMS Cornwall 1939-1942 Association * 3rd Battalion

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions, plus a number of companies in other Army Reserve battalions. Each battalion of The Rifles was formerl ...

, formerly the 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry *

Worshipful Company of Leathersellers The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers is one of the livery companies of the City of London. The organisation originates from the latter part of the fourteenth century and received its Royal Charter in 1444, and is therefore the senior leath ...

* Cornish Rugby Football Union * TS St Petroc, Padstow * TS Queen Charlotte, Guildford * TS Pellow, Truro * TS Robert Hitchens, Falmouth and Penryn * 6th Falmouth

Sea Scout Sea Scouts are a part of the Scout movement, with a particular emphasis on boating and other water-based activities on the sea, rivers or lakes (canoeing, rafting, scuba, sailboarding). Sea Scouts can provide a chance to sail, cruise on boats, ...

Group * CCF Colston's Collegiate, Bristol * CCF Berkhamsted Collegiate School, Herts * CCF Reed's School, Surrey * Cornish Royal Naval Association * Accenture * 99 Squadron RAF * Devon & Cornwall RNA Units.

References

Publications

External links

MaritimeQuest HMS ''Cornwall'' F-99 pagesHMS ''Cornwall'' (F99) service history at helis.com database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cornwall (F99) 1985 ships Ships built on the River Clyde Military history of Cornwall Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy