HMS Exeter (D89)
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 HMS Exeter in the River Thames, sailing downstream past Limehouse, London. |
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Exeter |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Laid down: | 22 July 1976 |
| Launched: | 25 April 1978 |
| Commissioned: | 19 September 1980 |
| Decommissioned: | Expected 2009 |
| Homeport: | Portsmouth |
| Motto: | Semper Fidelis ("Always faithful") |
| Honours and awards: |
Falkland Islands 1982 and Kuwait 1991. |
| Fate: | Extended Readiness @ Portsmouth |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type 42 destroyer |
| Displacement: | 4,820 tonnes |
| Length: | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.3 m (47 ft) |
| Propulsion: | COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) turbines, 2 shafts 2 turbines producing 36 MW |
| Speed: | 28.7 knots (56 km/h) |
| Complement: | 287 |
| Armament: | Sea Dart missiles (removed as of November 2007) 4.5 in (114 mm) Mk 8 gun |
| Aircraft carried: | Lynx HMA8 |
HMS Exeter (D89) is a Type 42 destroyer, the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to be named Exeter, after the city of Exeter in Devon.
Exeter was the first of the slightly modified 'Batch 2' Type 42 destroyers. This was a mid-build consideration with her later sister ship, HMS Southampton sporting a similar weapons and sensors upgrade with no discernible hull modifications. The weapons and sensors fit was the first grouping of the 1022, 992Q and 1006 radars in a British warship.
Early in her first commission, Exeter sported a turquoise hull; this was an experimental co-polymer paint which was only available in a few non-standard colours at the time. The experiment proved successful and the ship's hull was repainted to standard brick red/black during its first docking period, post Operation Corporate.
The ship saw service in the Falklands War shooting down four Argentine aircraft[1], deploying to the area from the Caribbean after the start of the British invasion operations to replace Sheffield. Exeter also served in Operation Granby, the 1991 Gulf War, under the command of Captain Nigel Essenhigh, Royal Navy, later First Sea Lord. Among her roles was the air defence of the US battleships bombarding enemy positions. She attended Falklands 25th anniversary commemorations at Newquay, Cornwall in 2007, as the last remaining Royal Navy ship in commission to have served in the Falklands.[1]
On 30 July 2008, she was placed in a state of 'Extended Readiness' at HMNB Portsmouth. With her crew dispersed it is unlikely she will sail again before her planned decomissioning in 2009.
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