HMS Norfolk (D21)
The fifth HMS Norfolk was laid down on 15th March 1966 by Swan Hunter and launched by Lavinia, Duchess of Norfolk in November 1967. She was commissioned in March 1970. Like her predecessor she was a County-class warship, though this time she was a destroyer, rather than a cruiser, and her most potent armament was not her guns, but her missiles.
In the 1970s, Norfolk was used as a trials ship for the newly acquired Exocet missile system, launched one against the target ship HMS Upholder, a WWII era warship. The impact of the missile destroyed her. She became the first Royal Navy warship to be armed with the Exocet missile system. She also became the first warship to carry three independent missile systems (Exocet, Seacat, Seaslug and Seacat). She had a displacement of 5450 tons and was quite a large ship, considering she was classified as a destroyer. She undertook numerous deployments to the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and South Pacific Ocean.
In September 1979, one of the highlights of her relatively peaceful career came, when she flew the Queen's Colour in Sweden, when King Carl XVI Gustaf unveiled a plaque to commemorate Admiral James. She had an unwelcome milestone in 1979, when she became the first warship afloat to hold a Court Martial in over 10 years, during the ships visit to Freemantle, Australia. The visit itself was made to commemorate 150 years of the founding of Western Australia.
In September 1980, Norfolk took over the UK's commitment to Standing Naval Force Atlantic, but shortly afterwards became the Dartmouth Training Ship.
On 17th February 1982, Norfolk, re-named Capitan Pratt, departed for her new masters - the Chilean Navy. She still serves Chile proudly as she did the UK, and is currently based in Valparaíso.
See HMS Norfolk for other ships of the name.
HMS Norfolk Statistics
- Displacement: 5,450 tons standard 6,100 full load
- Length: 522 ft
- Beam: 53 ft
- Draught: 20 ft
- Complement: 470
- Armament:
- 4 x 4.5-inch guns (2 removed after refit)
- 2 x 20mm Oerlikon guns
- 2 x Sea Slug missile launchers
- 8 x Seacat missile launchers (added after refit)
- 4 x Exocet missile launchers (added after refit)
- 6 x 12.75-inch torpedo tubes
- Aircraft: one Westland Wessex helicopter
- Speed: 32 knots
- Range: 4000 nautical miles at 28 knots
- Propulsion: COSAG (Combination of Steam and Gas) turbines, 2 shafts
Referenced By
County Class | County class destroyer
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