Royal Navy frigate Portland rejoins fleet following overhaul

The Type 23 frigate HMS Portland officially returned to service with the Royal Navy in a ceremony at Devonport on Thursday, September 9.

Commissioned in 2001, Portland was handed over to Babcock International Group in 2018 upon completion of its deployment to the North and South Atlantic the previous year to undergo an extensive overhaul program.

Under the refit, the ship’s electric propulsion motors were removed, rewired and replaced, while an upgraded Sea Ceptor missile defence system was installed in place of the older Sea Wolf system.

Also added were newer surveillance and navigational radars and an improved hull-mounted sonar for enhanced anti-submarine warfare capability.

The machinery and IT systems on board have also been overhauled, as well as mess decks redesigned from their original 1980s layouts.

Portland‘s crew and their equipment have undergone an extensive series of trials to test the ship, culminating in a successful test firing of the Sea Ceptor system. Preparations are now underway for Operational Sea Training in October, when the sailors will be trained and tested before the vessel’s scheduled recommencement of naval operations later this year.