The Royal Navy has decommissioned its Type 23 frigate HMS Monmouth without the customary send off it often organizes for its major ships.
The withdrawal of HMS Monmouth from active duty was only disclosed by UK defense minister Jeremy Quin in a brief answer to a parliamentary question on July 26. According to Quin, the frigate left Royal Navy service on June 30, 2021, after being laid up in Devonport since early 2019.
While COVID-19 might be one of the reasons for skipping a farewell ceremony, another would be an expensive and lengthy life extension refit the ship would have been required to undergo to be able to stay in service. The frigate had been expected to remain in service until 2026, but was being stripped of her weapons and sensors even before an official announcement on her decommissioning had been made.
With the retirement of HMS Monmouth, the Royal Navy is left with 12 Type 23 ships, which will eventually be replaced by Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.
Monmouth returned to Devonport from her final deployment in December 2018, during which the frigate supported aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during F35B trials off the East Coast of the US.
