End in a foreign land - UK frigate „Lancaster“ decommissioned in Bahrain

The submarine frigate „HMS Lancaster“, the fourth unit of fourteen of the Type 23 Duke class (133 metres, 4,900 tonnes), was permanently stationed in HMS Jufair, the Royal Navy's base in Bahrain (UK Naval Support Facility), for her last three years of service before being decommissioned there at the beginning of December. In 34 years, she had not only sailed the seas of the Caribbean and the Middle East, often with the task of hunting drugs and pirates, but like her sister ships was deployed in all areas of the world where Britain's interests were to be protected.

At the turn of the year, however, only two Type 23 frigates and three Type 45 destroyers of the Daring class were still operational under the adverse conditions of limited budgetary and personnel resources, after one of them had just completed a shipyard overhaul and conversion of the propulsion system lasting several years. Amphibious assets are no longer available and floating supplies are also down - the aircraft carrier „HMS Prince of Wales“ on its East Asia tour was supplied by the Norwegian supply ship „Maud“. Now the „HMS Middleton“ (Hunt class, 60 metres, 750 tonnes), the last unit permanently stationed in Bahrain for the allied mine defence in the Strait of Hormuz, is to be ordered back to its home country in March. We turn away from this less than encouraging picture and look hopefully to the new construction programmes for the Type 26 (City class, „Global Combat Ship“, 150 metres, 8,000 tonnes) and the Type 31 (Inspiration class, „Arrowhead 140“, 139 metres, 5,700 tonnes). Keep calm and carry on.

Photo: US Navy