HMS Montrose

The first HMS MONTROSE was an Admiralty Design class destroyer completed on 14 September 1919.  She joined the Mediterranean Fleet where she served for the next ten years; she returned home in 1929 to serve with the Home Fleet.  In 1939 she was allocated as leader of the 17th Destroyer Flotilla, stationed in the Western Approaches.  On 27th May 1940 she assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk and lifted 925 troops before being damaged.  Re-allocated to the 18th Destroyer Flotilla, she was further damaged by enemy aircraft and towed to Chatham for repairs.

MONTROSE was next engaged in protecting minesweepers and convoys to North Russia; her final action came supporting the Normandy landings where she was badly damaged and had to be towed back and was de-commissioned in 1946.

The present MONTROSE is the second ship bearing the name and is a Type 23 Duke Class Frigate.  She was built at Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde and launched on 31st July 1992.  The T23 Frigate is the mainstay of the surface Fleet in the modern Royal Navy with a complement of 180 and cost £130 million to construct.  MONTROSE is a member of the Devonport Flotilla and is based in Plymouth.

HMS Montrose Update – November 2011

We continue our passage South, having completed stops in Lisbon, Tenerife, Cape Verde and 6 hours at Ascension, where we managed to land 50% of the crew for ‘leg stretchers’. 45 members of the crew also entered for the ‘Dewpond’ run, 7 miles up to the top of the Island, running through a varied terrain from rock and sand to tropical rain forest and land similar to Dartmoor! 43 finished which was an amazing achievement in the heat.

We also conducted our own Remembrance Sunday service onboard with a Guard to remember those fallen, a very fitting and moving service held at sea.

We completed a crossing the line ceremony last Saturday where about 100 members of the crew had their first dunking. We have also completed two events towards the Trophy – a sports afternoon playing Bucket Ball and a Quiz Night. We continue on track, with the weather starting to get a bit cooler as we head further South to Promote UK interests in the South Atlantic.

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