HMS Londonderry
1st Commission
1960 - 1962
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HMS Londonderry |
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1960 - 1964 8th F.S., Home & West Indies.
1965 - 1967 Far East.
1967 - 1969 Modernisation at Rosyth.
1970 Far East, taking part in the Indonesian Confrontation. Then the Beira Patrol and eventually to the Bahamas where she rescued 148 Cuban refugees.
1975 - 1979 Refitting at Rosyth for service as Trials Ship for A.S.W.E.
1979 Recommissioned at Portsmouth as Radar Training Ship.
1981 24 Aug 1981 Portsmouth 14-18 Sep 1981 Trials 18-20 Sep 81 Portsmouth 20-26 Sep 81 Portland 26-30 Sep 81 St Malo 01-20 Oct 81 Portsmouth 22-27 Oct 81 Aberdeen 28 Oct-3 Nov 81 Rosyth 03-13 Nov 81 JMC 13-16 Nov 81 Rosyth 16-19 Nov 81 Green Seas Trials 19-22 Nov 81 Devonport 22-27 Nov 81 Trials 27 Nov-31 Dec 81 Portsmouth 1982 01-11 Jan 82 Portsmouth 11-15 Jan 82 Trials 15-18 Jan 82 Devonport 18-22 Jan 82 Trials 22-25 Jan 82 Devonport 25-30 Jan 82 Trials 31 Jan- 02 Feb 82 Portland 02-08 Feb 82 Portsmouth 12 Feb 82 Ponta del Garda 18-19 Feb 82 Bermuda 22-25 Feb 82 St Croix (US Virgin Islands) 27 Feb 82 Grand Turk 01-04 Mar 82 Freeport (Bahamas) 05-15 Mar 82 Mayport (Florida) 18-21 Mar 82 Bermuda 31st March 82 Commission extended due Falklands conflict. 31 Mar-04 May 82 Portsmouth 04-07 May 82 Trials DTS 07-10 May 82 Portsmouth 10-14 May 82 Trials DTS 14-17 May 82 Portsmouth 17-20 May 82 Nav Trg 20-24 May 82 Portsmouth 24-28 May 82 Nav Trg 28-31 May 82 Falmouth 01-02 Jun 82 Dartmouth 02-04 Jun 82 DTS 04-07 Jun 82 Devonport 07-12 Jun 82 Nav Trg/MEAC 12-17 Jun 82 Antwerp 19-28 Jun 82 Kiel Week (100) (In lieu HMS Antrim, Arethusa & Rhyll) 01-05 Jul 82 Portsmouth 05-08 Jul 82 Nav Trg 08-19 Jul 82 Portsmouth SMP 19-22 Jul 82 Trg 22-27 Jul 82 Falmouth 25 July 82 Start Tall Ships Race - Falmouth 27-30-Jul 82 Nav Trg 30 Jul-02 Aug 82 Swanage 02 Aug-20 sep 82 Portsmouth AMP 20 Sep-01 Oct 82 NT/MEAC 01-04 Oct 82 Portsmouth 04-07 Oct 82 NT/MEAC 07-11 Oct 82 Portsmouth 11-15 Oct 82 NT/MEAC 15-22 Oct 82 Kingston upon Hull 23-28 Oct 82 Portsmouth 1-03 Nov 82 Gibraltar 05-09 Nov 82 Nice 10-11 Nov 82 Corsica 12-16 Nov 82 Palma Mallorca 19-23 Nov 82 Lisbon 26-29 Nov 82 Portsmouth 29 Nov-02 Dec 82 Nav Trg 02-06 Dec 82 Devonport 06-09 Dec 82 Nav Trg 09-31 Dec 82 Portsmouth 1983 01-06 Jan 83 Portsmouth 17 Jan 83 Roosevelt Roads 18-19 Jan 83 Virgin Gorda 20-24 Jan 83 San Juan 29 Jan-07 Feb 83 Pensacola 11-16 feb 83 New Orleans 19-21 Feb 83 Great Stirrup Cay 04-07 Mar 83 Portsmouth 07-11 Mar 83 Nav Trg 11-15 Mar 83 Portsmouth 17-21 Mar 83 Portrush (NI) 23-24 Mar 83 Portsmouth 25-30 Mar 83 Amsterdam 31 Mar-15 Aug 83 Portsmouth Repairs 15-19 Aug 83 Shakedown 19-23 Aug 83 Falmouth 24 Aug-02 Sep 83 Portsmouth 03-06 Sep 83 Devonport 09-12 Sep 83 Gibraltar 12-16 Sep 83 Trials 16-19 Sep 83 Gibraltar 19-23 Sep 83 Trials/Passage 23-26 Sep 83 Portsmouth 26 Sep-06 Oct 83 PWO(N) 06 Oct 83 Rosyth 06-07 Oct 83 PWO(N) 07-10 Oct 83 Newcastle 10-14 Oct 83 PWO(N) 14-31 Oct 83 Portsmouth AMP 02-07 Nov 83 Arlberg (Denmark) 07-20 Nov 83 ARCC/SNAPS/SLAVA (Surveillance/escort of Soviet Warship in UK waters 20-24 Nov 83 ARCC/SNAPS 25-29 Nov 83 Rosyth 01-31 Dec 83 Portsmouth 1984 01-20 Jan 84 Portsmouth 02-08 Feb 84 Barbados 10-13 Feb 84 San Juan 13-16 Feb 84 Exercise Areas 17-20 Feb 84 Virgin Gorda 24 Feb-05 Mar 84 Charleston 08-12 Mar 84 Bermuda 20 Mar 84 Devonport 22-26 Mar 84 Cuxhaven 27-29 Mar 84 Portsmouth 29 Mar 84 Families Day 29-31 Mar 84 Portsmouth 31 March 84 Paid off and converted to Harbour Training Ship for H.M.S. Sultan 1984 - 1988 25 June 89 Sunk as surface target off Scotland The early 1982 visit across the Atlantic was by way of a "Paying Off" Cruise. Londonderry borrowed a 30mm Rardon cannon to enable her to take up the role of West Indies Guard Ship. The 1983 crossing was as consort to HMS Fearless in her role as DTS. As a result of the effectiveness of the two ships operating together, the Derry was programmed to accompany Fearless in 1984. However, Fearless's involvement in the Lebanon crisis in late 1983 meant that she was not ready to resume the role of DTS in time. The 6th Frigate Squadron stepped into the breach and a reformed Dartmouth Training Squadron, comprising HM Ships Berwick, Londonderry, Plymouth (F6) and Torquay, sailed in company across the 'pond'.
Due to pay off initially on 31st March 1982, the ship was immediately reactivated as the Dartmouth Training Ship and accommodation modified to suit. She continued in this role until Fearless returned from the Falklands conflict and had had time to recover.
'Slava' refers to the Soviet warship of that name which the Londonderry shadowed down the Atlantic coast of Ireland.
Abbreviations:
NT or Nav Trg - Navigation Training
MEAC - Marine Engineering Application Course
JMC - Joint Maritime Course
PWO(N) - Principal Warfare Officer(Navigation) Course - the equivalent to the 'Long N' course
ARCC - As Required Commodore Clyde.Early and final references are from British Warships since 1945 (Frigates) by Mike Critchley.
1981 - 1984 details kindly provided by Peter Ritchie MEO HMS Londonderry 1981-84
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Derry being helped alongside at Tampa, Florida, U.S.A.
HMS Londonderry emerges from a four year refit in Rosyth.
She now has three masts, a distinction she shared with HMS Victory and HMY Britannia
Picture: PO(Phot) Len Cobbett.
HMS Londonderry, Portsmouth 1984
On June 25th 1989 HMS Londonderry having come to the end of her useful life was disposed of as a target. Sunk by a combination of missiles, bombs and gunfire in position 59° 45' 12"N 009° 59' 6"W (JMO Training Staff, RAF Turnhouse, 4.7.89). Off the North West of Scotland, (Chart 1129 - Banks North West of the Hebrides) near a charted depth of 1141 metres (624 fathoms). The chart below is an extract from the official wreck chart of the area provided by http://www.wrecksite.eu/Wrecksite.aspx under licence from the UKHO.
'Derry' Cutting the mustard
Any further pictures or details will be much appreciated.
webmaster@hmslondonderry.org
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