.gif)
HMS Edinburgh (D97)
Encyclopedia
HMS Edinburgh is a Type 42 (Batch 3) destroyer of the Royal Navy
. Edinburgh was built by Cammell Laird
of Birkenhead
. She was launched on 14 April 1983 and commissioned on the 17 December 1985. The largest of the Type 42 destroyers, HMS Edinburgh is known as the "Fortress of the Sea".
Close-in weapon system
(CIWS). In 1994, Edinburgh was present at a Fleet Review to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day
landings in 1944. In 1998, Edinburgh deployed to the South Atlantic, where she patrolled the waters around the Falkland Islands
, as well as making 'fly-the-flag' visits to various South America
n ports.
On the 27 September 2002, Edinburgh sailed into the River Mersey
to escort the yachts at the end of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
In January 2003, Edinburgh deployed to the Persian Gulf
and subsequently took part in the Second Gulf War against the dictator Saddam Hussein
. While there, Edinburgh performed a variety of tasks, which included supporting the Royal Marines
ashore, as well as being escort to the helicopter carrier Ocean
. She returned to Portsmouth
, where she is based, in May.
In April 2004, Edinburgh deployed to the Mediterranean
, where she first joined Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED), and while there, Edinburgh will take part in Operation Active Endeavour
, designed to monitor sea lanes as part of the War on Terror
.
On her return to the UK, Edinburgh went into an extensive refit in Rosyth
. She left Rosyth in September 2005 to conduct trials to ensure that she was materially up to operational standard before going to the FOST (organisation for Operational Sea Training) in the New Year. Since then Edinburgh has taken part in Exercise Neptune Warrior off the coast of Scotland; conducted a High Seas Firing of her Sea Dart missile system
and then took part in the multi-national BALTOPS exercise
in the Baltic Sea
. The time in the Baltic included visits to Sweden, Germany and Estonia.
Edinburgh was deployed to the Middle and Far East from February until late July 2008 as part of Orion 2008, including a visit to Singapore and operations in the Gulf, during which she took part in an interception of a drugs cargo.
. When it was decided to fit the Phalanx CIWS
to this class of warships, it was intended that the Edinburgh should carry a single CIWS unit, mounted forward between her 4.5" gun and the Sea Dart launcher. To this end, her breakwaters were enlarged and she was fitted with a raised bulwark, very like those carried on the Type 22 frigate
s.
This location proved to be an unsuitably wet one for the Phalanx system despite the modifications to this warship, and the Edinburgh was later fitted with a pair of wing-mounted CIWS as carried by the other ships of the class, but she retains her distinctive bulwark and enlarged breakwaters.
The Edinburgh also differs from some ships of her class in carrying her badges flush to the funnel
sides rather than on the funnel wing platforms.
to undergo a refit when she entered dry dock on 25 January 2010 at BAE Systems Surface Ships shipyard in Portsmouth Naval Base for work that will keep the ship in service until 2013.
Under a £17.5 million contract, the company refurbished the destroyer's weapons and communications systems, added a transom flap to the stern and applied a coat of International Paint's Intersleek 900 foul-release paint. The refit included a renewal of crew living quarters, catering facilities and laundry equipment. Edinburghs four Rolls-Royce
gas turbine engines were removed; with two being replaced by new units (starboard Olympus TM3B and port Tyne RM1C
). In a company statement on 18 January 2010, BAE Systems said that the modifications will cut fuel consumption by 15 per cent.
Edinburgh emerged from refit in September 2010 to undergo sea trials that include testing the ship's propulsion machinery, radar and communication equipments, as well as her ability to conduct flying operations. Edinburghs signatures will be assessed for radar cross section, heat, magnetic and acoustics before trials culminating in live firings of medium and close range weapons.
The 'Fortress of the Sea' was set to be formally accepted back into the fleet in late October 2010, followed by a rededication ceremony in early November.
May 2011 saw the ship begin an eight month deployment which will she her visit the Cape Verde
and Falkland Islands
.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Edinburgh was built by Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
of Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. She was launched on 14 April 1983 and commissioned on the 17 December 1985. The largest of the Type 42 destroyers, HMS Edinburgh is known as the "Fortress of the Sea".
Operations
In 1990, Edinburgh completed a refit, which included the fitting of the PhalanxPhalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
Close-in weapon system
Close-in weapon system
A close-in weapon system , often pronounced sea-whiz, is a naval shipboard point-defense weapon for detecting and destroying at short range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses....
(CIWS). In 1994, Edinburgh was present at a Fleet Review to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
landings in 1944. In 1998, Edinburgh deployed to the South Atlantic, where she patrolled the waters around the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, as well as making 'fly-the-flag' visits to various South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n ports.
On the 27 September 2002, Edinburgh sailed into the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
to escort the yachts at the end of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
In January 2003, Edinburgh deployed to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
and subsequently took part in the Second Gulf War against the dictator Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. While there, Edinburgh performed a variety of tasks, which included supporting the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
ashore, as well as being escort to the helicopter carrier Ocean
HMS Ocean (L12)
HMS Ocean of the Royal Navy is an amphibious assault ship , the sole member of her class. She is designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force...
. She returned to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, where she is based, in May.
In April 2004, Edinburgh deployed to the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, where she first joined Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED), and while there, Edinburgh will take part in Operation Active Endeavour
Operation Active Endeavour
Operation Active Endeavour is a maritime operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It operates in the Mediterranean Sea and is designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. It has also collateral benefits in enhanced security of shipping in general...
, designed to monitor sea lanes as part of the War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
On her return to the UK, Edinburgh went into an extensive refit in Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
. She left Rosyth in September 2005 to conduct trials to ensure that she was materially up to operational standard before going to the FOST (organisation for Operational Sea Training) in the New Year. Since then Edinburgh has taken part in Exercise Neptune Warrior off the coast of Scotland; conducted a High Seas Firing of her Sea Dart missile system
Sea Dart missile
Sea Dart or Guided Weapon System 30 is a British surface-to-air missile system designed by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and built by British Aerospace from 1977...
and then took part in the multi-national BALTOPS exercise
BALTOPS
BALTOPS is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it....
in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. The time in the Baltic included visits to Sweden, Germany and Estonia.
Edinburgh was deployed to the Middle and Far East from February until late July 2008 as part of Orion 2008, including a visit to Singapore and operations in the Gulf, during which she took part in an interception of a drugs cargo.
Distinctive appearance
Edinburgh can readily be distinguished by her distinctively different forecastleForecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
. When it was decided to fit the Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
to this class of warships, it was intended that the Edinburgh should carry a single CIWS unit, mounted forward between her 4.5" gun and the Sea Dart launcher. To this end, her breakwaters were enlarged and she was fitted with a raised bulwark, very like those carried on the Type 22 frigate
Type 22 frigate
The Type 22 Broadsword class is a class of frigate built for the British Royal Navy. Fourteen of the class were built in total, with production divided into three batches. With the decommissioning of HMS Cornwall on 30 June 2011, the final Type 22 of the Royal Navy was retired from service...
s.
This location proved to be an unsuitably wet one for the Phalanx system despite the modifications to this warship, and the Edinburgh was later fitted with a pair of wing-mounted CIWS as carried by the other ships of the class, but she retains her distinctive bulwark and enlarged breakwaters.
The Edinburgh also differs from some ships of her class in carrying her badges flush to the funnel
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
sides rather than on the funnel wing platforms.
2010 Refit
Edinburgh became the final Type 42 destroyerType 42 destroyer
The Type 42 or Sheffield class, are guided missile destroyers used by the British Royal Navy and the Argentine Navy. The first ship of the class was ordered in 1968 and launched in 1971, and today three ships remain active in the Royal Navy and one in the Argentinian Navy...
to undergo a refit when she entered dry dock on 25 January 2010 at BAE Systems Surface Ships shipyard in Portsmouth Naval Base for work that will keep the ship in service until 2013.
Under a £17.5 million contract, the company refurbished the destroyer's weapons and communications systems, added a transom flap to the stern and applied a coat of International Paint's Intersleek 900 foul-release paint. The refit included a renewal of crew living quarters, catering facilities and laundry equipment. Edinburghs four Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce plc
Rolls-Royce Group plc is a global power systems company headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s second-largest maker of aircraft engines , and also has major businesses in the marine propulsion and energy sectors. Through its defence-related activities...
gas turbine engines were removed; with two being replaced by new units (starboard Olympus TM3B and port Tyne RM1C
Rolls-Royce Tyne
|-See also:...
). In a company statement on 18 January 2010, BAE Systems said that the modifications will cut fuel consumption by 15 per cent.
Edinburgh emerged from refit in September 2010 to undergo sea trials that include testing the ship's propulsion machinery, radar and communication equipments, as well as her ability to conduct flying operations. Edinburghs signatures will be assessed for radar cross section, heat, magnetic and acoustics before trials culminating in live firings of medium and close range weapons.
The 'Fortress of the Sea' was set to be formally accepted back into the fleet in late October 2010, followed by a rededication ceremony in early November.
2011
In April 2011 Edinburgh successfully completed Sea-Dart missile firing trials.May 2011 saw the ship begin an eight month deployment which will she her visit the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
and Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
Affiliations
- The Royal Scots BorderersRoyal Scots BorderersThe Royal Scots Borderers is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.Two infantry regiments ; the Royal Scots and the King's Own Scottish Borderers merged on the 28 March 2006, and with the other Scottish infantry regiments amalgamated into the single seven battalion strong Royal...
, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland - No. 8 Squadron RAF