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 HMSGrafton | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSGrafton |
| Namesake | Duke of Grafton |
| Ordered | January 1992 |
| Builder | Yarrow Shipbuilders |
| Laid down | 13 May 1993 |
| Launched | 5 November 1994 |
| Commissioned | 29 May 1997 |
| Decommissioned | 31 March 2006 |
| Identification | F80 |
| Fate | Sold to Chile |
 Chile | |
| Name | Almirante Lynch |
| Namesake | Patricio Lynch |
| Commissioned | 28 March 2007 |
| Identification | FF-07 |
| Status | Active |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Duke-classType 23 frigate |
| Displacement | 4,900 tonnes |
| Length | 133 m (436 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 7,800 nmi (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at 15 kn |
| Complement | 185 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma orEurocopter AS365 Dauphin |
HMSGrafton is aType 23 frigate formerly in service with theRoyal Navy. She was the ninth vessel to bear the name, and is named after theDuke of Grafton. Ordered in January 1992,Grafton waslaid down on 13 May 1993 byYarrow Shipbuilders. The frigate waslaunched on 5 November 1994 andcommissioned into the Royal Navy on 29 May 1997 with thepennant number F80. In 2007 the ship was transferred to Chile asAlmirante Lynch and, having undergone a significant upgrade from 2019 to 2020, remains in service with theChilean Navy.
Designed to replace theLeander class, the Type 23 frigate's operational role as an anti-submarine warfare platform. They are 133 metres (436 ft 4 in) long with abeam of 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in), adraught of 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in) anddisplaces 4,900 tonnes.
They are propelled by acombined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) system with twoRolls-Royce Spey boostgas turbines and fourPaxman Valentadiesel engines. They are also equipped with two GEC electric motors. This gives the ships a maximum speed of 28knots (52 km/h; 32 mph) and 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) on diesel-electric. The vessels have an effective range of 7,800nautical miles (14,400 km; 9,000 mi) at 15 knots.
Designed to replace theLeander class, the Type 23 frigate's operational role as ananti-submarine warfare platform. The design grew to encompass theSea Wolf andHarpoon missile systems forair defence and anti-ship purposes respectively. They were also equipped with oneBAE4.5-inch (113 mm) Mk 8 gun.
For anti-submarine purposes they have fourSting Ray torpedo tubes. For anti-missile defence they haveSeagnat and DFL3 decoy launchers.
On 23 September 1998, while operating off the coast ofMalaysia,Grafton'sLynx helicopter crashed into the sea during a night exercise, one crew member was killed.[1]
In 2003, the ship was used in theITV drama seriesMaking Waves as the fictional Royal Navy warshipSuffolk. In early 2004 the ship was deployed in thePersian Gulf. In July 2004, it was announced thatGrafton would be one of three Type 23 frigates to be decommissioned by the end of 2006.
In June 2005, it was announced thatGrafton would be sold to theChilean Navy . During her service in the Royal Navy, her crew were awarded the freedom of the Borough ofIpswich, due to their frequent visits to theSuffolk town. On her last visit to Ipswich in 2006, theship's bell was presented to the town as a permanent reminder of the links betweenGrafton and Ipswich. The bell is now on display in the reception area of the Ipswich Borough Council offices at Grafton House, named for the connection to the warship.[2] She was decommissioned on 31 March 2006.
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The frigate was delivered to Chilean Navy on 28 March 2007 at Portsmouth and renamedAlmirante Lynch (FF-07) afterPatricio Lynch.
Along with other Chilean vessels of her class,Almirante Lynch underwent a significant upgrade from June 2019 to December 2020. The CMS 330 combat management architecture was installed along TRS-4D G-Band active scanning radars and 32CAMM Sea Ceptor vertical-launch surface-to-air missile silos to replace the previous Sea Wolf SAM system.[3]
Almirante Lynch participated in the multinationalmilitary exerciseRIMPAC 2022.[4]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) Royal Navy | |
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 Chilean Navy |
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