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HMS Fife (D20)
Encyclopedia
HMS Fife (D20) was the first unit of the Batch 2 County-class
destroyer
s of the Royal Navy
. She had 'B' turret removed and replaced with four Exocet
launchers in the mid-1970s. In 1979, Fife provided assistance to the Caribbean island of Dominica
after the island was hit severely by Hurricane David
. She was under refit during the Falklands War
and so did not take part in the conflict.
system being removed. This was completed in June 1986. This created space for extra messdecks and classrooms for officers under training (OUTs). One messdeck still used hammocks and these OUTs are possibly the last men in the Royal Navy to sleep in hammocks; they were told so at the time. In September 1986 she undertook a Dartmouth Training Ship (DTS) deployment (10 countries in 10 weeks) to the Mediterranean returning to Portsmouth early December.
A "hut" was built where the sea slug launcher had once stood, aft of the helicopter pad. This grey box was actually a satellite navigation classroom and attracted much attention from a Russian Kashin class destroyer which regularly "buzzed" HMS Fife for some close quarter photographs . . . no doubt intrigued by the box which did not appear on any pictures of Fife in Jane's Fighting Ships.
Her second DTS deployment in Jan 87 took her via Brest into the Mediterranean, in company with HMS INTREPID. Her final voyage in the Royal Navy was to lead a DTS deployment to North America, in which she and HMS Juno sailed to North America and into the Great Lakes, including a period alongside at Chicago in May 1987. On her return to Great Britain in June 1987 she landed the OUTs at Dartmouth and then proceeded to Portsmouth where she decommissioned.
upon her arrival, and, taking advantage of the removed Sea Slug, Blanco Encaladas deck was extended aft and a new, larger hangar constructed. The rebuild was completed in May 1988. In 1996 she was fitted with the Barak SAM
by removing the Sea Cat
launchers. Blanco Encalada was decommissioned from the Chilean Navy
on 12 December 2003 and was sold for scrap in November 2005.
County class destroyer
The County class was a class of guided missile destroyers, the first such vessels built by the Royal Navy. Designed specifically around the Sea Slug anti-aircraft missile system, the primary role of these ships was area air-defence around the aircraft carrier task force in the nuclear-war...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s of the Royal Navy
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...
. She had 'B' turret removed and replaced with four Exocet
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...
launchers in the mid-1970s. In 1979, Fife provided assistance to the Caribbean island of Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
after the island was hit severely by Hurricane David
Hurricane David
Hurricane David was the fourth named tropical cyclone, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. A Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, David was among the deadliest hurricanes in the latter half of the 20th century, killing...
. She was under refit during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
and so did not take part in the conflict.
Refit 1986
In 1986 Fife underwent a refit to convert her into a moving training ship, her Sea Slug missileSea Slug missile
Sea Slug was a first generation surface-to-air missile designed by Armstrong Whitworth for use by the Royal Navy...
system being removed. This was completed in June 1986. This created space for extra messdecks and classrooms for officers under training (OUTs). One messdeck still used hammocks and these OUTs are possibly the last men in the Royal Navy to sleep in hammocks; they were told so at the time. In September 1986 she undertook a Dartmouth Training Ship (DTS) deployment (10 countries in 10 weeks) to the Mediterranean returning to Portsmouth early December.
A "hut" was built where the sea slug launcher had once stood, aft of the helicopter pad. This grey box was actually a satellite navigation classroom and attracted much attention from a Russian Kashin class destroyer which regularly "buzzed" HMS Fife for some close quarter photographs . . . no doubt intrigued by the box which did not appear on any pictures of Fife in Jane's Fighting Ships.
Her second DTS deployment in Jan 87 took her via Brest into the Mediterranean, in company with HMS INTREPID. Her final voyage in the Royal Navy was to lead a DTS deployment to North America, in which she and HMS Juno sailed to North America and into the Great Lakes, including a period alongside at Chicago in May 1987. On her return to Great Britain in June 1987 she landed the OUTs at Dartmouth and then proceeded to Portsmouth where she decommissioned.
Sale to Chile
The ship was sold to Chile on 12 August 1987 and renamed Blanco Encalada. She was taken into refit at TalcahuanoTalcahuano
Talcahuano is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile.-Geography:...
upon her arrival, and, taking advantage of the removed Sea Slug, Blanco Encaladas deck was extended aft and a new, larger hangar constructed. The rebuild was completed in May 1988. In 1996 she was fitted with the Barak SAM
Barak SAM
Barak is an Israeli surface-to-air missile designed to be used as a point-defense missile system on warships, defending against aircraft, anti-ship missiles, and UAVs.-Barak I:...
by removing the Sea Cat
Sea Cat missile
Sea Cat was a British short-range surface to air missile system intended to replace the ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun aboard warships of all sizes. It was the world's first operational shipboard point-defence missile system and was designed so that the Bofors guns could be replaced with minimum...
launchers. Blanco Encalada was decommissioned from the Chilean Navy
Chilean Navy
-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
on 12 December 2003 and was sold for scrap in November 2005.