HMS Northumberland to Visit County of Northumberland, UK

HMS Northumberland will visit her affiliate County of Northumberland from Friday, September 13 to Monday September 16 and will be berthed at Whitehill Point, which is just upriver from the Ro-Ro berths within the Port of Tyne complex.

Numerous events are being planned for the Type 23 frigate and her Ship’s Company, including a Captain’s Luncheon soon after her arrival on the Tyne, with guests including the High Sheriff of Northumberland, Mr Peter Loyd, Councillor Kath Nisbet, Civic Head of Northumberland County Council and Councillor Grant Davey, Leader of Northumberland Council.

She is expected to be alongside at around 10.30am.

Later that night, the Ship will host a reception and capability demonstration for 120 guests on board, with music provided by Morpeth’s Northumberland Pipe Band, who will be supported by a group of local dancers.

Members of the local Sea Cadet unit will provide buglers at the event’s sunset ceremony, the salute of which will be taken by Cllr Nisbet.

Also on Friday, the ship’s Merlin helicopter will visit James Calvert Spence College in Amble at 9.10am, with the majority of the school assembled to welcome pilot Lieutenant Karen Barnicoat. The children and staff will then be given the opportunity to view the helicopter up close and speak to the helicopter’s crew.

“This is an absolutely terrific opportunity for the children and is a first for us,”

said Christine Graham, Executive Head of James Calvert Spence College.

“Both children and staff are really excited at the prospect of this visit.”

In addition, various schools and recruiting visits are planned, plus sporting events. This includes golf at Northumberland Golf Club, a match against Morpeth RFC, as well as a ship’s team participating in The Great North Run on Sunday.

Other activities include a visit by members of the Ship’s Company to Alnwick Castle, Northumberland County Council offices in Morpeth and Kielder Calvert Trust (the ship’s charity), where members of the Ship’s Company will be involved in renovation and maintenance activities.

There will be numerous youth visits and tours by local Sea Cadet units and an EEF Industry visit to the ship by technology and engineering business leaders and students.

Regrettably, on this occasion – the Ship’s first visit since 2011 – the 3,500-tonne warship will not be open to the general public.

Prior to her departure on Monday at 3pm, the Ship’s lady sponsor, Lady Anne Kerr, will visit HMS Northumberland at the invitation of the Commanding Officer, Commander Tristram Kirkwood.

He said:

“I know my entire Ship’s Company is looking forward to renewing our close ties with our affiliated county and the people of North Tyneside. It’s an honour to be invited back to the County of Northumberland and we are very much looking forward to the visit.”

Northumberland recently returned from a seven-month deployment to the Middle East and East Coast of Africa where she was engaged in counter-piracy and counter-narcotic operations. She was one of the Navy’s two frigates supporting the 2012 Cougar deployment to the Mediterranean last year, and most recently represented the Royal Navy at the prestigious Bournemouth Air Festival.

Powerful and versatile with the capability to operate anywhere in the world, the Type 23 frigate is the mainstay of the modern surface fleet and the 13 Type 23s form 50% of the total frigate/destroyer force in the Royal Navy.

Originally designed for the principal task of anti-submarine warfare, they have evolved into powerful and versatile multi purpose ships with the capability to operate anywhere in the world. The effectiveness of these ships is enhanced by their stealth design, which reduces their radar signature significantly. In addition to the war fighting roles described above, the ship is trained to conduct a wide range of other tasks.

These include embargo operations using boarding teams inserted from the ship’s boats or helicopter, disaster relief work and surveillance operations.

Northumberland was built at Swan Hunters at Wallsend on the Tyne, launched in April 1992 by the ship’s sponsor Lady Anne Kerr and accepted into Royal Naval Service in May 1994.

She is affiliated to Northumberland County Council, Morpeth Pipe Band, The Light Dragoons and TS Tenacity Sea Cadets to name but a few. The ship’s predecessors have an impressive set of battle honours such as Barfleur in 1692 and Groix Island in 1812.

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Press Release, September 13, 2013; Image: Royal Navy