About HMS CORNWALL

About HMS CORNWALL
The top story of course in Britain recently was the plight of the 15 crew of HMS CORNWALL (F99) held by the Iranians, but little in the news is said about the actual vessel they serve on. We feel Shipping Times readers may like to know more about the vessel.

She was built by the then Yarrow Shipbuilders at Scotstoun on the River Clyde, the shipyard now owned by BAE Systems and deployed as one of the three yards in Britain building the Type 45 destroyer.

She was laid down on 14th December 1983, launched on Monday October 14th 1985 and commissioned into the Royal Navy at Falmouth on April 23rd 1988 by the late Diana Princess of Wales who was the ship's sponsor.

After the Princess was killed in the terrible car crash, Lady Mary Holborow, Lord Lieutenant of the County of Cornwall became the sponsor.

The ship's Commanding Officer is Commander Jeremy Woods who only recently took command of the Type 22 Frigate on the 20th November 2006.

She has a full load displacement of 4900 tons and is 485.9 feet (148.1 metres) in length. Powered by two Rolls Royce Tyne engines for a cruising speed of 18 knots she also has RR Spey boost gas turbines to give her a speed in excess of 30 knots when required.

The ship is equipped with anti submarine tubes, NATO Seagnat Decoy Launchers, Two Quad Harpoon missile launchers (which give her an impressive reach), two 20 mm close range guns, the Sea Wolf anti-missile system, Goalkeeper Close-in Weapons System and a 4.5 inch Mark 8 Naval Gun.

A Lynx Helicopter is carried with an array of armaments including anti-submarine, anti-ship weapons and machine guns.

HMS CORNWALL is a 'stretched' version of the original Broadsword Class and was the first of the Batch Three Type 22 frigates. The other Type 22's are HMS CAMPBELTOWN, CHATHAM and CUMBERLAND. The Batch Three are the only Type 22's left in the Royal Navy, all the other vessels of this class, ten in all, have either been sold to other navies, paid off or scrapped.

Update:
Shipping Times would like to take the opportunity of congratulating all of the crew on getting safely back to the UK.

(Photo by Calum McCulloch shows her on the Clyde in 2004)