#W41 Type 23 Frigate
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Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. W41 - HMS Portland, F79
HMS Portland, one of thirteen Type 23 Frigates currently in service in the Royal Navy is one of eight ships to have been named HMS PORTLAND, either after Portland Harbour in Dorset or after holders of the title of the Duke of Portland. The first five ships to bear the name HMS PORTLAND were full-rigged 40-50 gun ships built between 1653 and 1802.They ended their service either by being burnt to avoid capture, being sold, or were converted for other use, as was the fate of the fourth HMS PORTLAND which was converted into a 10-gun storeship and a prision. The sixth ship to bear the name HMS PORTLAND was a barge used to defend Plymouth between 1795 and 1802. The seventh ship named HMS PORTLAND was to have been a Bangor class minesweeper. She was laid down in 1941 and renamed HMS TAITAM later that year. She was captured by the Japanese whilst under construction in 1941 and became the Japanese minesweeper M/S 101 eventually sunk by the Americans in 1945. The current HMS PORTLAND, a Devonport based Type 23 general purpose frigate, was built by Marconi Marine on the Clyde, launched on 15 May 1999 and later commissioned on 3 May 2001. Present at the commissioning ceremony was Portland’s sponsor Lady Brigstocke, wife of Admiral Sir John Brigstocke, a former Second Sea Lord, who had also launched the ship in 1999. Since being accepted into the fleet she has conducted maritime security of UK waters and operational tasking in many areas of the world including the South Atlantic, the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf. Some operational highlights have included seizing 3.5 tonnes of cocaine in a co-ordinated operation with the United States Coast Guard, disaster relief operations in Belize following Hurricane Dean, both in 2007, and counter piracy operations off the Horn of Africa in 2009 where the ship intercepted ten pirated vessels. HMS PORTLAND underwent a major upgrade and maintenance programme at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard between January and November 2012 to sustain the ship at peak effectiveness. Among the upgrades received during this substantial refit were; the new DNA(2) Command System (key to the ship’s fighting capability against air, surface and underwater threats); the new Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)), enabling information sharing and collaborative working across the defence sector network; the fit of Sonar 2087 (the tactical variable depth active and passive anti-submarine warfare system), the SeaWolf mid-life update (SWMLU) comprising tracking, guidance and weapon management upgrades to counter evolving anti-ship missile threats; the 4.5 Mk8 Mod1 gun replacement; and a new 30mm automatic gun fit. Following this refit period, HMS PORTLAND was back at sea by the end of 2012 to commence regenerating to full operational capability for future tasking. HMS PORTLAND is the first major warship in the Royal Navy to be commanded by a woman; Commander Sarah West assumed command of HMS PORTLAND on 21 May 2012.