HMS Leander (F109)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Leander.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Leander (F109)
Operator	Royal Navy
Builder	Harland and Wolff
Laid down	10 April 1959
Launched	28 June 1961
Commissioned	27 March 1963
Decommissioned	April 1987
Motto	Qui patitur vincit
Fate	Sunk as target 1989
General characteristics
Class and type	Leander-class frigate

HMS Leander (F109) was the nameship of the Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). She was originally intended to be part of the Rothesay class and would have been known as Weymouth. Leander was, like the rest of the class, named after a figure of mythology. She was built by the famous Harland & Wolff of Belfast and was launched on 28 June 1961. She was commissioned on 27 March 1963.

Service history

1963–1969

Upon her commissioning, Leander deployed to the West Indies, performing a variety of duties while there. She returned to the UK in April 1964. In 1965, Leander was part of Matchmaker I, a multi-national squadron of NATO, and the predecessor of Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), which was created in 1967, although it was not actually formed until the following year. In 1966, Leander deployed to the Pacific and in 1967 she deployed back to the West Indies and subsequently to the Persian Gulf.

1970–1979

In 1970, Leander joined the NATO multi-national squadron STANAVFORLANT. In June that year, Leander began modernisation that included the removal of her one twin 4.5-in gun which was replaced by the Ikara anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missile launcher. The work was completed in December 1972. In 1974, she joined the 3rd Frigate Squadron, which included other Leander-class frigates. That same year, as part of that squadron, Leander took part in Task Group (TG) 317.2, a deployment that caused some controversy back in the UK when the TG, on its way to the Far East/Pacific, visited South Africa, which was at that time under apartheid rule. As well as visiting two ports in South Africa, the TG performed military exercises with the South African armed forces, which caused uproar in some parts of the governing Labour Party, as well as gaining much press coverage.

Leander, with the rest of the TG visited Cape Town, while Diomede and Warspite visited Simonstown. The TG, upon reaching their destination performed a number of exercises and 'fly the flag' visits with Far East and Pacific countries. While in the region, Leander, like a number of the TG, was shadowed by a number of nations, including the Soviet Union, a common occurrence during the Cold War. The TG did not visit South Africa on their return, and headed to Brazil for an exercise with the Brazilian Navy. Leander returned to the UK in June 1975.

In December 1975, Leander, under the command of Captain John Tait, began a Fishery Protection Patrol during the Third Cod War between the UK and Iceland over fishing disputes. Like many other Royal Navy vessels, she was confronted by Icelandic gunboats. In January 1976, she rammed the Icelandic gunboat Þór (Thor), causing some damage to the British ship's hull. No further such incidents occurred on her first patrol, though when she was returning to the UK, the ship broke down during a heavy storm. She eventually made her way to Faslane. The damage she suffered during her Fishery Patrol and during the storm was repaired at Devonport Dockyard. When the repairs were made, Leander undertook a second Fishery Patrol, and rammed another Icelandic gunboat Ver, during the summer of 1976.

In 1977, Leander undertook a refit, and the following year headed to the West Indies, California, British Columbia, Mexico and Florida.

1980–1989

In 1982, Leander came to the aid of the Portuguese vessel MV Ave Maria which was ablaze off Exeter. Leander deployed to the Mediterranean in 1983 and again in 1985.

Fate

On 31 July 1986 Leander was placed in Reserve, becoming part of the Standby Squadron. A potential sale to Chile did not occur, possibly due to Australia prohibiting the sale of the Ikara ASW missile to non-Commonwealth nations. In April 1987, Leander was decommissioned. Her career came to an end in 1989, when during a naval exercise, she was sunk by a Sea Dart missile, three Exocets and one gravity bomb.

Commanding Officers

From	To	Captain
1965	1967	Captain R L Eveleigh DSC RN
1967	1968	Captain D T Goodhugh RN
1974	1975	Captain John H F C de Winton RN
1975	1976	Captain John M Tait RN
1978	1979	Commander W C McKnight RN
1981	1982	Commander Hugh Drake
1982		Commander John Perryman

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Marriott, Leo, 1983. Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983, Ian Allen Ltd. ISBN 07110 1322 5
• Osborne, Richard and Sowdon, David. Leander Class Frigates: A History of their Design and Development 1958–1990, Kendal, UK: World Ship Society, 1990. ISBN 0-905617-56-8.