Career
Ordered:	July 1988
Laid down:	1 November 1989
Launched:	31 July 1992
Commissioned:	2 June 1994
Decommissioned:
Fate:	Active in service as of 2007
Struck:
General characteristics
Displacement:	4,900 tonnes
Length:	133 m (463 ft)
Beam:	16.1 m (52.9 ft)
Draught:	7.3 m
Propulsion:	CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas) 2 Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas-turbines 4 Paxman Valenta diesel engines 2 GEC electric motors
Speed:	28 knots (52 km/h), 15 knots on diesel-electric
Range:	7,800 nautical miles (0 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement:	185
Armament:	2 ASuW Harpoon quad launchers Vertical launch system Sea Wolf missiles BAE 4.5 inch (110 mm) Mk 8 gun 2 Oerlikon 30 mm guns 4 Sting Ray torpedo tubes Seagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers
Aircraft:	Lynx HMA8
Motto:	Mare ditat rosa decorat Latin: "The sea enriches and the rose adorns"
Badge:

The second and current HMS Montrose (F236) 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.

Service

The ship was under the command of the husband of The Princess Royal, Captain Timothy Laurence from 27 August 1996. Laurence was appointed in command of the frigate HMS 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 November 6th - 9th 1998 (for a Dundee navy day and Armistice Day commemorations) when she was accompanied by various warships from European countries including: Norweigian minesweeper, N 52 KNM Vidar, Norweigian minesweeper, KNM Maloy, Dutch minesweeper, M 860 Hr. Ms. Schiedam, Belgian minesweeper, M 917 BNS Crocus, the Sandown class minehunter HMS Cromer (M103) and the German minesweeper, F45 FGS Volkingen.

HMS Montrose attended the August Bank Holiday 28th - 30th 1999 Navy Days at HMNB Devonport, moored along with HMS Sutherland (F81), HMS Somerset (F82), HMS Monmouth (F235), HMS Sheffield (F96), HMS Manchester (D95), HMS Illustrious (R06), HMS Campbeltown (F86), HMS Trafalgar (S107), HMS Triumph (S93) and RFA Argus (A135).

In early 2002, while Montrose was 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.

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 Canadians a week prior to the incident and was the last of the four ex-RN Upholder class submarines to be transferred to Canadian service and was on her way from Faslane Naval Base to Canada. Montrose was the first RN vessel to make contact with the boat and assisted the submarine.

9 October 2004 saw HMS Montrose visit Dundee for a wreath-laying ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary 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.

4th and 5 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 visit the ship was opened up for the public.

9 November 2006 saw HMS Montrose visit Dundee, Scotland for 4 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.

January 8 2007 saw Montrose deploy for 7 months to the Mediterranean. 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 Med 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 July 27th 2007.

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

See HMS Montrose for other ships of the name.

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

References

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.

•  • [ e] Type 23 frigate
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List of frigates of the Royal Navy