HMS Nottingham takes a final bow
24 Feb 10
After clocking up almost 700,000 nautical miles (1.3 million kilometres) on operations across the world over the last 30 years, Type 42 destroyer HMS Nottingham ended her career at a special decommissioning ceremony in Portsmouth recently.
HMS Nottingham's decommissioning ceremony at Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Dean Nixon, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
The Royal Navy is replacing the Type 42s with the Type 45 Daring class of destroyers.
The first of the Type 45 class - HMS Daring - made her first entry to her Portsmouth home in January last year.
Dauntless followed in December and sister ships Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan are at various stages of build and will all enter service progressively through to the middle of the decade.
Among the guests at HMS Nottingham's decommissioning service at Portsmouth Naval Base was former First Sea Lord, Sir Henry Leach, whose wife, Lady Leach, launched the ship in February 1980.
Their daughter, Henrietta Wood, who is the ship's sponsor, was also present along with many of the ship's 15 former Commanding Officers. Representatives of the ship's affiliate organisations from the city of Nottingham also attended.
The decommissioning service was conducted by naval chaplain the Reverend Ralph Barber, with musical accompaniment by The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, HMS Collingwood.
HMS Nottingham braves rough Atlantic seas during a high seas firing exercise (stock image)
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Ray Jones, Crown Copyright/MOD 2004]
The hour-long ceremony was rounded off in traditional Royal Navy fashion with the ceremonial cutting of a decommissioning cake. Performing the task was Mrs Wood and 18-year-old Engineering Technician James Deeley, the youngest sailor on board.
Commander Andrew Price, the ship's Commanding Officer, said:
"HMS Nottingham has served the Royal Navy proud since she was launched in 1980, serving throughout the world. My time as Commanding Officer has been one of the highlights of my naval career.
"Today is tinged with sadness as the ship's career comes to an end, but the new class of highly-capable Type 45 destroyers represent a step-change in technology relevant for the modern world."
HMS Nottingham - the sixth ship to bear the name - was built at Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton and launched on 18 February 1980. Early deployments saw the ship sail to the South Atlantic, the Far East and the Gulf.
On 23 July 1984 the ship was granted the Freedom of the City of Nottingham and since then has maintained close links with its charities, hospitals and schools.
HMS Nottingham's former Commanding Officers and the ship's sponsor, Mrs Henrietta Wood, line up on the gangway
[Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Dean Nixon, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
In November 1996 HMS Nottingham became the first UK warship to visit the Black Sea port of Poti in 75 years.
Nottingham's stay coincided with 'British Week', held in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, which promoted British products and culture.
During a deployment to the Far East in 2002 HMS Nottingham hit a rock off the coast of Australia. The ship returned to sea in 2004 following an 18-month repair programme.
In June 2006 Nottingham returned from six months of counter-terrorism and maritime security patrols in the Mediterranean, working alongside five other NATO nations. The ship trained and operated with two ships from the Russian Federation - the first time ships from that nation had been involved with training for multi-force anti-terrorism operations.
HMS Nottingham returned from her final deployment, patrolling the South Atlantic, in April 2008.