HMS Montrose (F236)

For other ships of the same name, see HMS Montrose.

HMS Montrose with a Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71)
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Montrose
Operator:	Royal Navy
Ordered:	July 1988
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down:	1 November 1989
Launched:	31 July 1992
Commissioned:	2 June 1994
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport, Plymouth
Motto:	Mare ditat rosa decorat Latin: "The sea enriches and the rose adorns"
Status:	in active service, as of 2012
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type 23 Frigate
Displacement:	4,900 tonnes, standard
Length:	133 m (436 ft 4 in)
Beam:	16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught:	7.3 m (23 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	CODLAG with four 1510 kW (2,025 shp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators powering two GEC electric motors delivering 2980kW (4000 shp) and two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A delivering 23,190 kW (31,100 shp) to two shafts
Speed:	28 knots, HMS Sutherland achieved 34.4 knots during high-speed trials (November 2008)
Range:	14,485 km (9,000 miles) at 15 knots
Complement:	185
Electronic warfare and decoys:	4 x 6-barrel Seagnat decoy launchers DFL2/3 offboard decoys
Armament:	Anti-air missiles; 32 cell Sea Wolf air-defence GWS.26 VLS for 32; Sea Wolf missiles (range 1-13 km) Anti-ship missiles; 2× quadruple Harpoon launchers. (8 anti-ship missiles) Anti-submarine torpedoes; 2× twin 12.75 in (324 mm) tubes for Stingray ASW torpedoes. Guns; 1× BAE 4.5 inch Mk8 gun 2× 30mm DS30M automated guns, or, 2× 30mm DS30B guns 2× Miniguns 4× General-purpose machine guns
Aircraft carried:	1×Lynx HMA8, armed with; 4× Sea Skua anti ship missiles, or 2× anti submarine torpedoes or 1×Westland Merlin HM1, armed with; 4× anti submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck Enclosed hangar

The second and current HMS Montrose is the eighth of a sixteen ship class of frigates, known as Type 23 or the 'Duke' class, of the Royal Navy. She was laid down in November 1989 by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde. She was launched by Mrs M L Rifkind, wife of the then Secretary of State for Defence Sir Malcolm Rifkind on 31 July 1992 and commissioned in June 1994 at Devonport Dockyard.

Montrose is attached to the Devonport Flotilla, based in Plymouth.

Operational history

Service in 1990s

The ship was under the command of the husband of The Princess Royal, Captain Timothy Laurence from 27 August 1996. Laurence was appointed to command of Montrose, and as captain of Plymouth-based F6, a squadron of five frigates. Until October 1996 the ship was in the South Atlantic, on Falkland Islands patrol.

Montrose has visited the city of Dundee on many occasions. Her visits include Easter 1997 and 6–9 November 1998 (for a Dundee navy day and Armistice Day commemorations) when she was accompanied by various warships from European countries including: Norwegian minesweeper, Vidar, Norwegian minesweeper, Maloy, Dutch minesweeper, Hr. Ms. Schiedam, Belgian minesweeper Crocus, the Sandown-class minehunter Cromer and the German minesweeper, Volkingen.

Montrose attended the 28–30 August 1999 Bank Holiday Navy Days at HMNB Devonport, berthed along with Sutherland, Somerset, Monmouth, Sheffield, Manchester, Illustrious, Campbeltown, Trafalgar, Triumph and Argus.

Service in early 2000s

In early 2002, while on Atlantic Patrol (South), divers from Montrose replaced the White Ensign on Antelope, which was sunk during the Falklands War. Montrose was later relieved by the destroyer Newcastle, and once the frigate returned to Britain from the deployment, she was placed in extended refit, which was completed in early January 2004 and undertook a diverse array of extensive training. In July Montrose arrived in Zeebrugge, Belgium to take part in the Belgian Navy Days. The following month Montrose took part in the Navy Days at Devonport Dockyard.

2004 Chicoutimi Incident

Montrose in Dundee Docks, 1998

In October 2004, Montrose was one of a number of a ships that was dispatched to the rescue of the stricken Canadian submarine Chicoutimi which had suffered a number of fires onboard, causing casualties and the loss of power in the submarine. She had only been handed over to the Canadian Navy a week prior to the incident and was the last of the four ex-Royal Navy Upholder-class submarines to be transferred to Canadian service and was on her way from Faslane Naval Base to Canada. Montrose was the first Royal Navy vessel to make contact with the boat and assisted the submarine.

On 9 October 2004 Montrose visited Dundee for a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Admiral Adam Duncan. The event had been postponed by defence cuts and the rescue (see above) would also have meant Montrose could not have attended earlier. 4 June 2005 saw Montrose visit Dundee again, at the end of a 16-month period testing an equipment trial with new weapons and sensor systems. During the two-day visit the ship was opened up for the public.

Montrose deployed in 2006 to the Persian Gulf, assisting in Operation Telic. 9 November 2006 saw HMS Montrose visit Dundee, Scotland for four days, covering the Remembrance Sunday memorial service. During the visit the crew fielded teams to play football, hockey and rugby against various teams, including some from Morgan Academy, Dundee.

2007 deployment: Operation Active Endeavour

On 8 January 2007, Montrose deployed for seven months to the Mediterranean Sea. During this time she was the UK's addition to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2). As part of this group, she was a part of NATO’s Operation Active Endeavour (OPAE), countering terrorist activity in the Mediterranean and preventing smuggling of illegal immigrants and other illegal activity. During this deployment, Montrose rescued 11 Turkish seamen from their small boats after their own ship had sunk. Montrose returned home to HMNB Devonport on 27 July 2007.

Prince Michael of Kent, the Honorary Rear Admiral (Royal Naval Reserve), visited Montrose on 24 September 2007 as part of the Prince's visit to Scotland to observe the Exercise Neptune Warrior. During the exercise, the ship was acting as Hibernian Naval Ship Montrose. The task was to defend the territorial waters of "Hibernia" from the forces of "Albinistan".

2008 deployment: Combined Task Force 150 anti-drug operations

Montrose, under Commander Andy Hogben, deployed on 12 March 2008 to the Middle East. Montrose had been tested shortly beforehand by the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) team to ensure she was ready for active deployment. Scenarios included in the testing were: Protecting oil platforms from insurgents, rescuing asylum seekers, boarding dhows, fighting off attacks from aircraft, ships and small, fast boats and providing humanitarian aid following a ‘typhoon’ which hit the exercise mock village at Devonport.

Montrose at dusk in Dundee Docks, 1998

After the delayed deployment, originally scheduled for 7 March 2008, Montrose was forced to endure sea state of 6/7 on her voyage to Gibraltar. Once the weather improved an improvised game of deck hockey was played using a ball made from black masking tape and rags. The delay in arrival meant that the crew were unable to undergo the 'Rock Race', however this was planned for later on in the deployment. Flag Officer Sea Training re-embarked for further testing before Argyll handed over duties to the Montrose near to Malta. next the ship visited Soudha Bay, Crete for a refuelling stop before the Lynx helicopter performed live fire depth charge drops.

By April 2008, Montrose was firmly a part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, in the Gulf of Aden. The Royal Marines and Lynx helicopter (nicknamed 'Rattler') have been busy during this time. Montrose also underwent a logistics replenishment at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

Whilst Montrose was operating with Chatham, Edinburgh and RFA Argus in the region known as the 'Hash Highway', over 23 tonnes of drugs including cocaine, hashish, amphetamines and opiates were seized by fast-rope helicopter boardings.

On 3 October 2008 Montrose returned home to 600 family and friends waiting at Devonport naval base.

In November 2008, Montrose visited her home town of Montrose, Angus. Angus Provost Ruth Leslie Melville took the salute and members of the public were allowed to look around her afterwards. Cadets of TS Duncan, of Dundee, had voyaged up to Montrose onboard the frigate.

2009 refit

Montrose underwent a £15,000,000 upkeep at Babcock’s dockyard. This was a major capability upgrade for the ship with the first fitting of the Royal Navy’s newest command system, DNA(2). The command system is equivalent to the ship’s “brain”, central to the ship’s fighting capability, and the replacement of the two old DS30B 30mm guns with two 30mm DS30M Mark 2 Guns. The DS30M "integrates an off-mount electro-optical director (EOD) with a fully automated 30 mm gun mount".

The ship's company came aboard July 20. After nine months of refit Captain McBarnet conducted the ready for sea inspection on 9 September 2009. Seven weeks of trials were next on the agenda.

Deployment 2010

Montrose was formally accepted back in to the Fleet by Navy Command on 11 February 2010. After operational sea training she deployed again, and in November 2010, her Lynx helicopter engaged and destroyed a Somalian pirate ship while on patrol off the coast of Somalia. Montrose also disrupted several attempts by Somali pirates to attack merchant ships.

Deployment 2011

In October 2011 HMS Montrose began a sixth-month deployment to the South Atlantic. In January 2012 it was announced that the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless would replace Montrose in the South Atlantic.

Affiliations

• The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
• 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery
• Angus District Council
• No. 13 Squadron RAF
• Worshipful Company of Distillers
• Dundee Sea Cadets

References

• HMS Montrose Type 23 Frigate guide. Directorate of Public Relations (Royal Navy). Printed in UK for HMSO by Roman Press Ltd, Bournemouth. Crown Copyright 1995, London.
• Devonport Navy Days guide 1999

External links

• Dundee Courier Newspaper - Chance to step aboard Royal Navy frigate.
• Dundee Courier Newspaper - Chance to see warship up close.
• Dundee Courier Newspaper - Naval hero Admiral Duncan celebrated.|publisher=Dundee Courier
• NetNewsPublisher - 'New Brain' for Royal Navy frigate.