Although officials did not explain why the Duke-class warship wasn’t brought home for decommissioning, there is speculation that her age may have played a role.
The longest-serving warship in Royal Navy history remains HMS Victory, Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar. The 104-gun first-rate ship of the line also has the distinction of being the oldest commissioned warship in the world, even if, unlike the US Navy’s oldest commissioned warship—the frigate USS Constitution—the British vessel is no longer seaworthy and remains in dry dock for preservation.
Yet, HMS Victory is still a reminder of the days when Britain ruled the waves.
By contrast, HMS Lancaster, one of the Royal Navy’s longest-serving modern warships, didn’t even return to the UK for her decommissioning last week. Instead, the Type 23 Duke-class frigate saw her career come to an end in Bahrain last Friday, where she has been forward deployed since 2022. HMS Lancaster arrived at the United Kingdom Naval Support Facility on the Middle Eastern island nation to a hero’s welcome, flying a “paying-off pennant” to mark her 35 years of service with the Royal Navy. She received a 35-gun salute, while the Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines from HMS Collingwood was also present.
“The 4,500-tonne warship powered down her engines after completing 4,097 days at sea and travelling 816,000 nautical miles—equivalent to 37 1/2 times around the world or almost two return trips to the Moon,” the Royal Navy announced.
HMS Lancaster was named not for the northern English city of Lancaster, but rather for the title “Duke of Lancaster,” which has been held by the British monarch since it merged with the Crown in 1399. The vessel was launched in a ceremony attended by the late Queen Elizabeth II in Clyde in 1990, and commissioned in May 1992. Due to the connection to the monarch, the Queen “remained a frequent visitor throughout the ship’s service, attending key milestones and private visits.” That included a 2024 visit, where Queen Elizabeth II posed with nearly 200 Royal Navy sailors on the warship’s bow.
About the Duke-class Frigate
The Type 23 Duke-class frigate was initially developed at the end of the Cold War for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), but later evolved into a multi-purpose warship, including air defense, anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and general operations.
A total of sixteen Duke-class frigates were built for the Royal Navy, and the vessels are now in the process of being replaced by the newer Type 26 City-class and Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates, which are expected to enter service through the early 2030s, marking the end of the line for the older Type 23 vessels.
Duke-class Frigate Specs and Capabilities
- Year introduced: 1989, when HMS Norfolk was commissioned
- Displacement: 4,900 tonnes (5,400 tons)
- Length: 133 m (436 ft)
- Beam: 16.1 m (52.8 ft)
- Engines: Combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG), which includes two Rolls-Royce Spey gas turbines, two electric motors, and four diesel generators
- Speed: 28 knots
- Range: 7,800 nautical miles at 15 knots
- Armament:
- Guns: 4.5-inch Mk 8 Naval Gun, 30mm guns
- Missiles: Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sea Ceptor (formerly Sea Wolf/Sea Dart) surface-to-air missiles
- Torpedoes: Sting Ray torpedoes (launched via Mk 32 tubes)
- CIWS: Phalanx Close-In Weapon System (on some)
- Sensors: Artisan 3D radar (post-refit)
- Aircraft: Hangar and flight deck for helicopters (Lynx, Merlin)
- Crew: ~185 officers and sailors
The Lancaster Was Not Fit for a Return Trip
HMS Lancaster, a forward-deployed frigate, supported the Royal Navy mission in the Middle East as part of Operation Kipion. HMS Lancaster has conducted patrols with the US Fifth Fleet as well as the Combined Maritime Forces, the 46-nation unit that patrols the highly-trafficked waters of the region.
What the UK’s senior service didn’t announce is why no effort was made to bring the warship home for decommissioning, but there is speculation that her age may have played a role.
As Navy Lookout reported, “The original plan was that she would return from the Gulf via the West Coast of Africa to maximise defence diplomacy opportunities, and a decommissioning ceremony in Devonport had been planned for November.” Instead, the warship was decommissioned in Bahrain, and some of her crew will be flown home to the UK.
Yet, not all of her crew will likely head home for the holidays.
As an operational warship, HMS Lancaster was likely well stocked with ordnance that will need to be offloaded. In addition, anything that would be seen to be “classified or sensitive,” as well as anything that would be used on the remaining Type 23 frigates, will need to be removed before the warship is handed over to a firm for scrapping. Her age may have been the key issue.
HMS Lancaster was last in drydock in 2019, and the Royal Navy may not have wanted to risk the crew in such a long voyage, especially as the waters of the North Atlantic can be stormy in the early winter.
“One inference that it is possible to draw, therefore, is that her material condition is not suitable for the sea conditions that she might encounter on a voyage home and that the risks of such a transit were beyond what it was practicable to mitigate, and therefore intolerable,” Forces News explained. The report added that avoiding a storm in the Bay of Biscay may have been the prudent move, but suggested, “It speaks volumes as to the precarious state of the Royal Navy’s frigate force.”
Instead of focusing on those points, Commander Sam Stephens, commanding officer of HMS Lancaster, highlighted the pomp and circumstance that came with marking the end of service of the frigate.
“A proud moment as the last Commanding Officer, putting HMS Lancaster alongside for the final time, marking an end to a long and illustrious history of operational success and links to the late Queen Elizabeth II,” said Stephens. “This final period at sea has proved the ship continues to perform at the same exceptional standard as when she first commissioned, which stands as a testament, not only to this crew, but to every crew who have served in her over the past 34 years of distinguished service.”
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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