HMS Portland is a Type 23

Type 23 frigate

The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...

 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 British 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 is the eighth ship

HMS Portland

Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Portland, either after Portland Harbour in Dorset or after holders of the title of the Duke of Portland:...

 to bear the name and is the fifteenth and penultimate ship of the 'Duke' class of frigates.

Operational history

The ship was accepted into service by the Royal Navy on 15 December 2000 and was commissioned on 3 May the following year. Present at the commissioning ceremony was Portlands sponsor Lady Brigstoke, wife of Admiral Sir John Brigstoke, a former Second Sea Lord, who had also launched the ship in 1999.
During sea trials Portland attained a top speed of 30.8 knots (60.4 km/h), the fastest speed attained by any Type 23 frigate.

Portland assisted in the search for men lost from a capsized yacht

Yacht

A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...

 on 3 February 2007.

She was deployed to the Caribbean for seven months in 2007, intercepting 3.5 tonnes of cocaine in cooperation with a United States Coast Guard

United States Coast Guard

The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 Law Enforcement Detachment

Law Enforcement Detachments

Law Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...

 (LEDET) and conducting disaster relief in Belize following Hurricane Dean.

In April 2008, Portland visited Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 with HMS Mersey

HMS Mersey (P283)

The fifth and current HMS Mersey is a River class offshore patrol vessel of the British Royal Navy. Named after the River Mersey, the ship is the first to bear the name in 84 years....

 and berthed at the cruise liner terminal at Princes Dock

Princes Dock

Princes Dock is a dock on the River Mersey, England and part of the Port of Liverpool. It is the most southerly of the docks situated in the northern part of the Liverpool dock system, connected to Princes Half Tide Dock to the north...

.

In June 2009 while taking part in anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa

Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...

, Portland intercepted ten pirates. However, as they were not caught in the immediate act of piracy the vessel was unable legally to detain them.

In late April 2010, Portland relieved HMS York on the Atlantic Patrol Task (South).

June 2011 saw Portland conducting night Naval Gunnery practice off Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 in the Mediterranean. Towards the end of the month she sailed to Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 to take part in Armed Forces Day. She is to be the first major warship in the Royal Navy to be commanded by a woman; Lt Cdr Sarah West will assume command of HMS Portland in April 2012 as Commander Sarah West.

Affiliations

• Irish Guards
  Irish Guards
  The Irish Guards , part of the Guards Division, is a Foot Guards regiment of the British Army.Along with the Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish regiments remaining in the British Army. The Irish Guards recruit in Northern Ireland and the Irish neighbourhoods of major British cities...
  
  
• The Royal Wessex Yeomanry
• Worshipful Company of Scriveners
  Worshipful Company of Scriveners
  The Worshipful Company of Scriveners of the City of London is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. It is also known as the Mysterie of Writers of the Court Letter. The Company had been responsible for setting qualifications and regulations for scrivener notaries since its foundation...
  
  
• Dorset Chamber of Commerce

External links

HMS Portland gallery