HMS London (F95) was a Type 22

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...

 frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 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...

, originally named Bloodhound but renamed London at the request of the Lord Mayor of London.

She was flagship of the Royal Navy task force during the First Gulf War in 1991.

She was decommissioned on 14 January 1999 and sold to the Romanian Navy on 14 January 2003, being commissioned as Regina Maria on 21 April 2005. She was named Regina Maria after Queen Marie of Romania

Marie of Romania

Marie of Romania was Queen consort of Romania from 1914 to 1927, as the wife of Ferdinand I of Romania.-Early life:...

, wife of King Ferdinand I of Romania

Ferdinand I of Romania

Ferdinand was the King of Romania from 10 October 1914 until his death.-Early life:Born in Sigmaringen in southwestern Germany, the Roman Catholic Prince Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern, was a son of Leopold, Prince of...

. There has since been some controversy over the price at which Romania purchased the ship.

See also

• Regina Maria destroyer (Regele Ferdinand class
  Regele Ferdinand class destroyer
  The Regele Ferdinand Class was two destroyers built in Italy for the Romanian Navy, which fought in World War II.-History:Following the end of World War I and the re-purchase of two Mărăşti class destroyers from Italy, the Romanian Government decided to order two more modern destroyers from the...
  
  ), a World War II-era namesake
• Romanian Naval Forces
  Romanian Naval Forces
  The Romanian Navy is the navy branch of the Romanian Armed Forces; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube.-History:-Development of the Romanian Navy:The Romanian Navy has been founded in 1860 as a river flotilla on the Danube...