1960 - 1964 8th F.S., Home & West Indies.
1965 - 1967 Far East. Indonesian confrontation patrolling the Malacca Straits and on Beira patrols.
1967 - 1969 Modernisation at Rosyth.
1970 Far East, taking part in the Indonesian Confrontation. Then the Beira Patrol and eventually to the Bahamas where she rescued 148 Cuban refugees.
1975 - 1979 Refitting at Rosyth for service as Trials Ship for A.S.W.E.
The extended refit of HMS Londonderry saw some considerable changes to this Rothesay class anti submarine frigate. She was fitted out as a trials ship for ASWE. A third mast was fitted to carry the TYPE 1030 STIR radar, the gun was removed, a new propulsion system was fitted to check the quietness of waterjets and a CAAIS system was fitted to improve the ability to handle the amount of information being generated. I was involved in co-ordinating the CAAIS fit with the Dockyard technical officers. CAAIS stands for Computer Aided Action Information System and was a Ferranti designed system. STIR stood for Surveillance and Target Indication Radar and was developed into Types 1022, interim STIR by HSA and 1030 by Marconi using back to back antennas.
| 1979 | Recommissioned at Portsmouth as Radar Training Ship |
| 1981 | |
| 24 Aug 1981 | Portsmouth |
| 14-18 Sep 1981 | Trials |
| 18-20 Sep 81 | Portsmouth |
| 20-26 Sep 81 | Portland |
| 26-30 Sep 81 | St Malo |
| 01-20 Oct 81 | Portsmouth |
| 22-27 Oct 81 | Aberdeen |
| 28 Oct-3 Nov 81 | Rosyth |
| 03-13 Nov 81 | JMC |
| 13-16 Nov 81 | Rosyth |
| 16-19 Nov 81 | Green Seas Trials |
| 19-22 Nov 81 | Devonport |
| 22-27 Nov 81 | Trials |
| 27 Nov-31 Dec 81 | Portsmouth |
| 1982 | |
| 01-11 Jan 82 | Portsmouth |
| 11-15 Jan 82 | Trials |
| 15-18 Jan 82 | Devonport |
| 18-22 Jan 82 | Trials |
| 22-25 Jan 82 | Devonport |
| 25-30 Jan 82 | Trials |
| 31 Jan- 02 Feb 82 | Portland |
| 02-08 Feb 82 | Portsmouth |
| 12 Feb 82 | Ponta del Garda |
| 18-19 Feb 82 | Bermuda |
| 22-25 Feb 82 | St Croix (US Virgin Islands) |
| 27 Feb 82 | Grand Turk |
| 01-04 Mar 82 | Freeport (Bahamas) |
| 05-15 Mar 82 | Mayport (Florida) |
| 18-21 Mar 82 | Bermuda |
| 31st March 82 | Commission extended due Falklands conflict. |
| 31 Mar-04 May 82 | Portsmouth |
| 04-07 May 82 | Trials DTS |
| 07-10 May 82 | Portsmouth |
| 10-14 May 82 | Trials DTS |
| 14-17 May 82 | Portsmouth |
| 17-20 May 82 | Nav Trg |
| 20-24 May 82 | Portsmouth |
| 24-28 May 82 | Nav Trg |
| 28-31 May 82 | Falmouth |
| 01-02 Jun 82 | Dartmouth |
| 02-04 Jun 82 | DTS |
| 04-07 Jun 82 | Devonport |
| 07-12 Jun 82 | Nav Trg/MEAC |
| 12-17 Jun 82 | Antwerp |
| 19-28 Jun 82 | Kiel Week (100) (In lieu HMS Antrim, Arethusa & Rhyll) |
| 01-05 Jul 82 | Portsmouth |
| 05-08 Jul 82 | Nav Trg |
| 08-19 Jul 82 | Portsmouth SMP |
| 19-22 Jul 82 | Trg |
| 22-27 Jul 82 | Falmouth |
| 25 July 82 | Start Tall Ships Race - Falmouth |
| 27-30-Jul 82 | Nav Trg |
| 30 Jul-02 Aug 82 | Swanage |
| 02 Aug-20 sep 82 | Portsmouth AMP |
| 20 Sep-01 Oct 82 | NT/MEAC |
| 01-04 Oct 82 | Portsmouth |
| 04-07 Oct 82 | NT/MEAC |
| 07-11 Oct 82 | Portsmouth |
| 11-15 Oct 82 | NT/MEAC |
| 15-22 Oct 82 | Kingston upon Hull |
| 23-28 Oct 82 | Portsmouth |
| 1-03 Nov 82 | Gibraltar |
| 05-09 Nov 82 | Nice |
| 10-11 Nov 82 | Corsica |
| 12-16 Nov 82 | Palma Mallorca |
| 19-23 Nov 82 | Lisbon |
| 26-29 Nov 82 | Portsmouth |
| 29 Nov-02 Dec 82 | Nav Trg |
| 02-06 Dec 82 | Devonport |
| 06-09 Dec 82 | Nav Trg |
| 09-31 Dec 82 | Portsmouth |
| 1983 | |
| 01-06 Jan 83 | Portsmouth |
| 17 Jan 83 | Roosevelt Roads |
| 18-19 Jan 83 | Virgin Gorda |
| 20-24 Jan 83 | San Juan |
| 29 Jan-07 Feb 83 | Pensacola |
| 11-16 feb 83 | New Orleans |
| 19-21 Feb 83 | Great Stirrup Cay |
| 04-07 Mar 83 | Portsmouth |
| 07-11 Mar 83 | Nav Trg |
| 11-15 Mar 83 | Portsmouth |
| 17-21 Mar 83 | Portrush (NI) |
| 23-24 Mar 83 | Portsmouth |
| 25-30 Mar 83 | Amsterdam |
| 31 Mar-15 Aug 83 | Portsmouth Repairs |
| 15-19 Aug 83 | Shakedown |
| 19-23 Aug 83 | Falmouth |
| 24 Aug-02 Sep 83 | Portsmouth |
| 03-06 Sep 83 | Devonport |
| 09-12 Sep 83 | Gibraltar |
| 12-16 Sep 83 | Trials |
| 16-19 Sep 83 | Gibraltar |
| 19-23 Sep 83 | Trials/Passage |
| 23-26 Sep 83 | Portsmouth |
| 26 Sep-06 Oct 83 | PWO(N) |
| 06 Oct 83 | Rosyth |
| 06-07 Oct 83 | PWO(N) |
| 07-10 Oct 83 | Newcastle |
| 10-14 Oct 83 | PWO(N) |
| 14-31 Oct 83 | Portsmouth AMP |
| 02-07 Nov 83 | Arlberg (Denmark) |
| 07-20 Nov 83 | ARCC/SNAPS/SLAVA (Surveillance/escort of Soviet Warship in UK waters |
| 20-24 Nov 83 | ARCC/SNAPS |
| 25-29 Nov 83 | Rosyth |
| 01-31 Dec 83 | Portsmouth |
| 1984 | |
| 01-20 Jan 84 | Portsmouth |
| 02-08 Feb 84 | Barbados |
| 10-13 Feb 84 | San Juan |
| 13-16 Feb 84 | Exercise Areas |
| 17-20 Feb 84 | Virgin Gorda |
| 24 Feb-05 Mar 84 | Charleston |
| 08-12 Mar 84 | Bermuda |
| 20 Mar 84 | Devonport |
| 22-26 Mar 84 | Cuxhaven |
| 27-29 Mar 84 | Portsmouth |
| 29 Mar 84 | Families Day |
| 29-31 Mar 84 | Portsmouth |
| 31 March 84 | Paid off and converted to Harbour Training Ship for H.M.S. Sultan 1984 - 1988 |
| 25 June 89 | Sunk as surface target off Scotland |
Photograph donated to the website by David Prescott in memory of John Prescott his brother; who served aboard the ship in the eighties leaving the navy as a Chief Petty Officer. David does not know any details regarding his brothers rank aboard the Derry other than he was a CPO. Any information would be gratefully received. Londonderry is flying the Royal Standard of the Duke of Edinburgh who was aboard to review and start the Tall Ships race.The early 1982 visit across the Atlantic was by way of a "Paying Off" Cruise. Londonderry borrowed a 30mm Rardon cannon to enable her to take up the role of West Indies Guard Ship. The 1983 crossing was as consort to HMS Fearless in her role as Dartmouth Training Squadron. As a result of the effectiveness of the two ships operating together, the Derry was programmed to accompany Fearless in 1984. However, Fearless's involvement in the Lebanon crisis in late 1983 meant that she was not ready to resume the role of Dartmouth Training Squadron in time. The 6th Frigate Squadron stepped into the breach and a reformed Dartmouth Training Squadron, comprising HM Ships Berwick, Londonderry, Plymouth (F6) and Torquay, sailed in company across the 'pond'.
Due to pay off initially on 31st March 1982, the ship was immediately reactivated as the Dartmouth Training Ship and accommodation modified to suit. She continued in this role until Fearless returned from the Falklands conflict and had had time to recover.
'Slava' refers to the Soviet warship of that name which the Londonderry shadowed down the Atlantic coast of Ireland.
Abbreviations:
NT or Nav Trg - Navigation Training
MEAC - Marine Engineering Application Course
JMC - Joint Maritime Course
PWO(N) - Principal Warfare Officer(Navigation) Course - the equivalent to the 'Long N' course
ARCC - As Required Commodore Clyde.Early and final references are from British Warships since 1945 (Frigates) by Mike Critchley.
1981 - 1984 details kindly provided by Peter Ritchie MEO HMS Londonderry 1981-84
_off_Miami_1964.jpg)
On June 25th 1989 HMS Londonderry having come to the end of her useful life was disposed of as a target. Sunk by a combination of missiles, bombs and gunfire in position 59° 45' 12"N 009° 59' 6"W (JMO Training Staff, RAF Turnhouse, 4.7.89). Off the North West of Scotland, (Chart 1129 - Banks North West of the Hebrides) near a charted depth of 1141 metres (624 fathoms). The chart below is an extract from the official wreck chart of the area provided by https://www.wrecksite.eu/Wrecksite.aspx under licence from the UKHO.
_off_Miami_1964.jpg){kind=link}