 The British frigateScylla (Right) and the French destroyerLa Galissonniere (Left) underway during NATO exercises on 18 November 1978 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSScylla |
| Builder | Devonport Royal Dockyard |
| Laid down | 17 May 1967 |
| Launched | 8 August 1968 |
| Commissioned | 12 February 1970 |
| Decommissioned | December 1993 |
| Fate | Sunk as an artificial reef on 27 March 2004 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Leander-classfrigate |
| Displacement | 3,200long tons (3,251 t) full load |
| Length | 113.4 m (372 ft) |
| Beam | 12.5 m (41 ft) |
| Draught | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 ×Babcock & Wilcox boilers supplying steam to two sets of White-English Electric double-reduction geared turbines to two shafts |
| Speed | 28 knots (52 km/h) |
| Range | 4,600 nautical miles (8,500 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 223 |
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried |
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HMSScylla (F71) was aLeander-classfrigate of theRoyal Navy (RN). She was built atDevonport Royal Dockyard, the last RN frigate to be built there as of 2025.Scylla was commissioned in 1970, taken out of service in 1993 in accordance withOptions for Change, and sunk as anartificial reef in 2004 offWhitsand Bay,Cornwall.
In early 1966, theBritish Admiralty orderedScylla, a "Broad-Beam"Leander-class frigate, fromDevonport Dockyard,[1] at a cost of£6,600,000.[2]Scylla waslaid down on 17 May 1967,launched on 8 August 1968 andcommissioned on 14 February 1970, receiving thepennant number F71.[3]
On 22 January 1973,Scylla collided with theTorpoint ferry, one of three separate collisions involving four warships on the same day.Scylla's collision had occurred while onsea trials following a refit. WhileScylla resumed her journey, the ferry sustained a three-foot (0.91 m) gash at thebow.[4] A court martial in May reprimandedScylla's commanding officer, Captain Peter Sutton.[5] In May,Scylla was deployed with other frigates to support the Royal Navy's operations against Iceland during the SecondCod War. The frigate conducted patrols to counter Icelandic coast guard ships targeting fishing vessels. On 1 June, the Icelandic gunboatAegir collided withScylla, the first such incident to occur during the fishing dispute.[6]
Fishing relations with Iceland deteriorated further in 1975, and the dispute escalated into the Third Cod War. From February 1976,Scylla began operating in support of Britishfishing trawlers.[7] In May,Scylla provided the escort to theroyal yachtBritannia duringQueen Elizabeth II's state visit to Finland.[8]Scylla attended theSpitheadFleet Review, held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II'sSilver Jubilee. During that reviewScylla was situated betweenBerwick andsister shipEuryalus.
In 1980,Scylla provided support whenCayman Brac, part of theCayman Islands, was struck by a powerful hurricane.[9]Scylla went into refit in 1980, to provision the frigate with Type 2016 sonar,Exocet andSea Wolf missile launchers, and aWestland Lynx helicopter.[10] The refit lasted four years,[11] and cost £79,692,000,[12] rendering the frigate unavailable for service in the Falklands. After being recommissioned,Scylla acted as guard ship for theWest Indies and patrolled thePersian Gulf as part ofArmilla Patrol.[citation needed]. In November 1986 at the end of her first Armilla Patrol, she was the escort toBritannia during thePrince andPrincess of Wales' visit to the Middle East firing a Royal Salute offMatrah, Oman and also visitingJiddah. The Princess of Wales flew home fromHurghada andSyclla then escortedBritannia north through theSuez Canal and on toAkrotiri, Cyprus where Prince Charles disembarked.[citation needed] While on Armilla Patrol in late December 1987,Scylla andUSS Elrod twice intervened after two ships, the KoreanHyundai No 7 and BritishEastern Power, were targeted by Iranian gunships. After the Korean vessel had been attacked south ofAbu Musa Island,Scylla's crew launched the frigate'sWestland Lynx helicopter and evacuated some of the ship's crew.[13]
In 1990,Scylla underwent a 10-month refit atRosyth.[14] By 1993,Scylla had become the last representative of her class in active service. The frigate's last deployment came that year when she deployed to theSouth Atlantic.[15] By then she was showing her age, and it had become difficult for the ship's engineers to maintain.Scylla suffered steering problems while on patrol and collided with the accompanying tankerRFA Gold Rover. WhileScylla suffered only superficial damage,Gold Rover had to have repairs for hull damage.[citation needed]Scylla was decommissioned in December 1993. In 1992,Scylla, with the commanding officer, officers and members of the ship's company in attendance, was granted theFreedom of the City of Aberdeen.[citation needed]
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The ship was bought by theNational Marine Aquarium for £200,000 and on 27 March 2004Scylla was sunk offWhitsand Bay,Cornwall, to form the first suchartificial reef in Europe.[16] The ship was 'planted' on a 24-metre (79 ft) sandy seabed at50°19.655′N4°15.162′W / 50.327583°N 4.252700°W /50.327583; -4.252700 approximately 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the wreck of theLiberty shipJames Eagan Layne, which has been a dive site for many years.[17]
Within three months of sinking the wreck was colonised bysea anemone,mussels andscallops and by six monthssea urchin andstarfish were found in large numbers. By 2021, 250 species have been recorded.[16]
In 2007 two amateur divers were killed after entering the wreck. Two more experienced divers died inside the engine room on deck three in September 2021.[18] There are fears that the continuing deposition close to the wreck of dredged waste from theTamar estuary has led to large quantities ofsilt spreading through the ship and frequently mixing with the moving water reducing visibility, thereby preventing divers from finding their way out before their air supply diminishes.[19] Following a 2014 survey the National Marine Aquarium who manage the site advised divers not to enter the wreck and solely to undertake scenic dives.[20]
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2004 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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