Discover

HMS ''Exeter'' (D89) in the River Thames, sailing downstream past Limehouse, London
Career	RN Ensign
Ordered:
Laid down:	22 July 1976
Launched:	25 April 1978
Commissioned:	19 September 1980
Decommissioned:
Fate:
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,820 tonnes
Length:	125 m (410 ft)
Beam:	14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught:
Propulsion:	COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) turbines, 2 shafts 2 turbines producing 36 MW
Speed:	28.7 knots (56 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	287
Armament:	Sea Dart missiles 4.5 in (114 mm) Mk 8 gun
Aircraft:	Lynx HMA8
Motto:	Semper Fidelis

'HMS ''Exeter'' (D89)' is a Type 42 destroyer, the fifth ship of the Royal Navy to be named ''Exeter'', after the city of Exeter in Devon.
Exeter was the first of the slightly modified 'Batch 2' Type 42 destroyers. This was a mid-build consideration with her later sister ship, HMS Southampton sporting a similar weapons and sensors upgrade with no discernable hull modifications. The weapons and sensors fit was the first grouping of the 1022, 992Q and 1006 radars in a British warship.
Early in her first commission, Exeter sported a turquoise hull; this was an experimental co-polymer paint which was only available in a few non-standard colours at the time. The experiment proved successful and the ship's hull was repainted to standard brick red/black during its first docking period, post Operation Corporate.
Her first few years were to be spent patrolling the North Atlantic and European waters until the then Defence Secretary, John Nott, issued his review of the Armed forces. This severely limited Exeter's future programme.
The ship saw service in the Falklands War shooting down many Argentine aircraft, deploying to the area from the Caribbean after the start of the British invasion operations to replace ''Sheffield''. ''Exeter'' also served in Operation Granby, the 1991 Gulf War, under the command of Captain Nigel Essenhigh, Royal Navy, later First Sea Lord. Among her roles was the air defence of the US battleships bombarding enemy positions.
In 2006, ''Exeter'' took part in ''Exercise Cold Response''^[1], returning to Portsmouth and then departing again on 27th November 2006.

Contents

Affiliations

External links

Affiliations

★ The Rifles

★ Exeter College, Oxford

★ Worshipful Company of Plaisterers

External links

★ HMS ''Exeter'' official homepage

★ Navy News article

★ HMS ''Exeter'' unofficial website
1. RoyalNavy.mod.uk - News & Events - ''Exeter'' comes in from the cold