ALMIRANTE COCHRANE was laid down as HMS NORFOLK ( Bahamas – 2001 – SG 1270 )
on 14 December 1985 and launched on 10 July 1987. Commissioned into the Royal
Navy on 1 June 1990.
HMS NORFOLK was the second of the Royal Navy's Type 23 vessels to visit
Gibraltar on 22 November 1992.
In 1994, HMS NORFOLK became the first Royal Navy warship to visit South Africa
in over 20 years, a visit designed to show that the commonwealth was ready to
accept South Africa as an ally resulting from the abolition of apartheid. Since
then, she has conducted many operations, including a deployment to Sierra Leone
in 2000 as part of a Royal Navy task force to assist in restoration of peace and
stability to the war-torn West African nation. 2000 was a busy year for HMS
NORFOLK with a deployment under Commander Bruce Williams to the United States.
Amongst the places visited were Savannah, Wilmington, Port Canaveral and Nassau.
She has also served in the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as
being involved in Standing Naval Force Atlantic. Other duties sometimes include
guardship for the British South Atlantic Territories, as well as the Caribbean.
A chance encounter in 2000 attracted a local Devonport Bottlenose dolphin whilst
on exercises. A photograph of the encounter was taken and the dolphin,
frequently seen in the area, was named NORFOLK in honour of this encounter.
2002 saw a busy year for HMS NORFOLK, commanded by Commander Richard Talbot. She
was deployed with vessels from Portugal, Norway, Spain, Germany, Italy and the
United States of America as part of her role within the Standing Naval Force
Atlantic (SNFL). As part of SNFL she was involved in a simulated volcanic
eruption disaster relief exercise. March saw Exercise 'Strong Resolve' off
Northern Norway, then in April she was in the Mediterranean as part of Operation
Direct Endeavour for NATO. During the Mediterranean deployment there was a visit
to Malta, including hosting the Princess Royal. The 30 000 nautical mile voyage
was also the last for Mr Chick MBE, a laundryman who served for 50 years
including the Yangtze Incident, Korea and Suez through to the Falklands Campaign
and Gulf War. HMS NORFOLK then attended the 2002 Navy days at Devonport.
2003 saw the crew of HMS NORFOLK deployed with 'Green Goddess' fire engines to
compensate for the fire service strike. NORFOLK spent 169 days alongside the
wall at HMP Portsmouth. May 2003 saw NORFOLK sail to her home base of Devonport
and resume her active role of training ready for deployment. Amongst the
simulations were attack runs by small attack craft, similar to the one which
attacked the USS Cole.
NORFOLK was the first ship to be armed with the Vertical Launch Seawolf missile
system. NORFOLK was also the first Royal Navy warship to be re-armed with the
new 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mod 1 gun system. 2004 saw HMS NORFOLK involved in the
celebrations of the centenary of the Entente Cordiale with France. NORFOLK also
took part in the 2004 amphibious warfare-themed Devonport Navy days. In July
2004, it was announced that NORFOLK would be one of three Type 23 frigates
decommissioned by the end of 2007. NORFOLK entered her home port for the last
time at then end of November 2004 was decommissioned at Devonport on 15 April
2005, the guest of honour being then Commander-in-Chief Fleet, Admiral Sir
Jonathon Band, who had been HMS NORFOLK's first Commanding Officer.
Following her sale she was commissioned into the Chilean Navy on 22 November
2006 as ALMIRANTE COCHRANE (FF-05) (named after Lord Cochrane).
Builder: Yarrow Shipbuilders, Glasgow, Scotland.
Class and type: Type 23 frigate
Displacement: 4,900 tonnes
Length: 133 m (436 ft 3 in)
Beam: 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught: 5.5 m (18 ft)
Propulsion: CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas)
2 × Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A gas turbines (34,000 hp)
4 × Paxman Valenta diesel engines (7,000 hp)
2 × GEC electric motors (1.5 MW, 4,400 hp)
Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h) cruise
28 knots (52 km/h) maximum
Range: 7,800 nautical miles (14,400 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 185
Sensors and
processing systems: 996 3D Radar
2 911 AAW Radars
1007 Navigation Radar
2050 Sonar
Electronic warfare
and decoys: UAF-1 ESM
675 ECM Jammer
Seagnat ECCM
Armament: 2 × Quad AGM 84 Harpoon missile launchers
32 × Vertical Launch Sea Wolf Anti-Aircraft & Anti-Missile Missile System
1 × 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mk.8 Mod 1 gun
2 × Oerlikon 30 mm cannons
4 × 324 mm Sting Ray - Side Launch Torpedo System
Aircraft carried: Lynx or Merlin HM1 helicopter
Chile 2010 sg?, scott?
Sources: Wikipedia. Combat Fleets of the World 2005 – 2006.
Peter Crichton