HMS ''Portland'' is a

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 ...

of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She is the eighth ship to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates, and is named for the currently extinct title of the Dukedom of Portland, and more particularly for the third Duke, who was Prime Minister.

Operational history

2000–2010

The ship was accepted into service by the Royal Navy on 15 December 2000 and was commissioned on 3 May the following year. Present at the commissioning ceremony was ''Portland''s sponsor Lady Brigstocke, wife of Admiral Sir John Brigstocke, a former

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer currently to serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore estab ...

; Lady Brigstocke launched the ship in 1999. During sea trials ''Portland'' attained a top speed of , the fastest speed attained by any Type 23 frigate at that time. Portland's Lynx helicopter (XZ724) was lost at sea on 8 December 2004. The aircraft had been launched following the potential sighting of a man overboard. All four crew were killed, including Lieutenant David Cole RN, the flight commander, who had embarked to augment the duty crew. ''Portland'' assisted in the search for men lost from a capsized

yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...

on 3 February 2007. She was deployed to the Caribbean for seven months in 2007, intercepting 3.5 tonnes of cocaine in cooperation with a

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) and conducting disaster relief in Belize following

Hurricane Dean Hurricane Dean was the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the most intense North Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Wilma of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, 2005 season, and is tied with Hurricane Mit ...

. In April 2008, ''Portland'' visited

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

with and berthed at the cruise liner terminal at Prince's Dock. In June 2009 while taking part in anti-piracy operations off the

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...

, ''Portland'' intercepted ten alleged pirates but because the suspects were not caught in the immediate act of piracy, the vessel was unable legally to detain them. In late April 2010, ''Portland'' relieved on the Atlantic Patrol Task (South).

2011–2021

June 2011 saw ''Portland'' conducting night Naval Gunnery practice off

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Towards the end of the month she sailed to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

to take part in

Armed Forces Day An Armed Forces Day, alongside its Military branch, branch-specific variants often referred to as Army or Soldier's Day, Navy or Sailor's Day, and Air Force or Aviator's Day, is a holiday dedicated to honoring the Military, armed forces, o ...

. She was 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, but was relieved of command in July 2014 following an alleged affair with one of the ship's officers. ''Portland'' spent 2012 at Rosyth in a 50-week refit that saw her upgraded with Sonar 2087, new IT systems, Sea Wolf mid-life overhaul, gun replacements, galley refurbishment and accommodation improvements. She left Rosyth on 14 December 2012 for three months of sea trials. In August 2013, she was announced as the Fleet Ready Escort for the next two months. She participated in Exercise Joint Warrior 2013. On 2 August 2014, she completed the 7-month task of the Atlantic Patrol ship. On 20 June 2016, ''Portland'' departed Devonport for a nine-month patrol covering the Middle East and the South Atlantic Ocean. ''Portland'' was the last Royal Navy ship to carry Radar 996 and was the last ship to conduct a Replenishment at Sea with prior to the latter ship's decommissioning In 2018, ''Portland'' began a Life Extension (LIFEX) refit at Babcock's Frigate Support Centre in Devonport. Her refit included the installation of the Sea Ceptor surface-to-air missile system, 997 surveillance radar, 1084 navigational radar and the 2150 hull-mounted sonar. She returned to sea in March 2021.

2022–present

In 2022, ''Portland'' spent 152 days at sea. In 2023, ''Portland'' and USS ''Porter'' were present at Halifax's fleet week, making it the city's first international fleet week. From February 2024, ''Portland'' participated in Steadfast Defender 2024 as part of the

UK Carrier Strike Group The UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) is a carrier battle group of the Royal Navy. It has existed in various forms since the mid-2000s. Between 2006 and 2011, the formation centred around the Royal Navy's s until the retirement of their Harrier G ...

. Participated in Exercise Strike Warrior in the North Sea, in October 2024. https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news/2024/october/14/20241014-strike-warrior-begins-as-uk-carrier-strike-group-assembles-in-the-north-sea In December 2024, it was reported that ''Portland'' had become the second Royal Navy ship to be fitted with Naval Strike Missiles to serve as an anti-ship surface to surface weapon, and as an interim replacement for the

Harpoon A harpoon is a long, spear-like projectile used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other hunting to shoot, kill, and capture large fish or marine mammals such as seals, sea cows, and whales. It impales the target and secures it with barb or ...

missiles, but that they can also be programmed to be used in the land attack role.

Affiliations

Irish Guards The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...

The Royal Wessex Yeomanry The Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY) is a reserve armoured regiment of the British Army consisting of five squadrons, with the regimental headquarters based at Bovington Camp, Dorset. The regiment is part of 3rd (UK) Division and provides battle c ...

Worshipful Company of Scriveners The Worshipful Company of Scriveners is an ancient Livery Company of the City of London. Originally known as the ''Mysterie of the Writers of the Court Letter'' and, since its incorporation, as the ''Master Wardens and Assistants of the Company ...

Worshipful Company of Masons
* Dorset Chamber of Commerce *

Earl of Portland Earl of Portland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England, firstly in 1633 and secondly in 1689. What proved to be a long co-held title, Duke of Portland, was created in 1716 and became extinct in 1990 upon the death of t ...

* Cambridge URNU * Winsford Middlewich & Northwich Sea Cadets

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Portland Frigates of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Clyde 1999 ships Type 23 frigates of the Royal Navy