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HMS Nottingham
Career (UK)
Name:	HMS Nottingham (D91)
Operator:	Royal Navy
Ordered:	1 March 1977
Builder:	Vosper Thorneycroft, Woolston yard
Laid down:	6 February 1978
Launched:	18 February 1980 by Lady Leach (wife of the then First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Henry Leach)
Commissioned:	14 April 1983
Motto:	Foy Pour Devoir ("Faith for Duty")
Fate:	Active in service as of 2007
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type 42 destroyer
Displacement:	4,820 tonnes
Length:	125 m (410 ft)
Beam:	14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught:	5.8 m
Propulsion:	2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines 2 x Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C gas turbines (cruising engines, top speed about 18 knots (33 km/h))
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h)
Complement:	271 (27 Officers, 71 Senior Rates, 173 Junior Rates)
Armament:	1 x twin Sea Dart missile launcher 1 x Vickers 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mk 8 automatic gun 2 x Vulcan Phalanx Close-in weapon system
Aircraft carried:	Lynx HMA8

HMS Nottingham (D91), is a batch two Type 42 Destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the city of Nottingham, England. She was launched on February 18, 1980, and commissioned on 8 April 1983 and is the sixth ship to bear the name.

Her Commanding Officer at commissioning was Commander Nigel Essenhigh (in his first major command role ) went on to become First Sea Lord. On her first cruise to Oporto, Portugal and then Gibraltar she sadly lost 4 sailors to a drowning incident in Oporto. "The Notty" was the last of the short Type 42s and suffered from the usual stressing of the flexible joint amidships.

In November 2000 Nottingham completed a major refit, which extended her operational life to 2012.

In 2001 Nottingham took part in a NATO exercise near Scotland and in RN exercises near Oman in the Middle East.

On 21 March 2002 she left Portsmouth for a nine-month trip to several countries in Asia.

On 7 July 2002, Nottingham ran aground on the submerged but well-charted Wolf Rock near Lord Howe Island, 200 miles off the coast of Australia. A 160 ft (50 m) hole was torn down the side of the vessel from bow to bridge, flooding five of her compartments and nearly causing her to sink. The accident happened in poor weather after a wounded sailor was evacuated to the island, involving some late course changes. The captain was not on the ship at the time, but was having dinner with the harbourmaster Clive Wilson. Emergency repairs were made to make it possible to move the ship. On 6 August, Nottingham set out on her journey to the port of Newcastle, north of Sydney, Australia, towed stern-first because of the damage to her bow. In Newcastle, her Sea Dart missiles were removed and further repairs are carried out.

It was decided Nottingham would be repaired in the UK. After arriving in Sydney on 15 October, the damaged ship was lifted on board the heavy lifting vessel MV Swan and welded to her deck for transport. On 28 October Nottingham left Sydney harbour on board the MV Swan for the journey back to the UK. On 9 December, she arrived at Portsmouth Harbour for repairs at Fleet Support Limited. Meanwhile, the destroyer HMS Glasgow was reactivated to cover for Nottingham while she was being repaired.

On 7 July 2003, the anniversary of the collision, Nottingham was refloated. In April 2004 she sailed again following the £39m repair and refit. The ship was expected to return to normal duties in July 2004. On 23 August 2004, the Nottingham met the SAS Mendi, a Valour class frigate at the site where the SS Mendi, a World War I troopship, sank to lay wreaths in remembrance to those who died in service for their country.

Nottingham maintains a close relationship with the city which it is named for and the Nottingham public are said to be very proud of 'their ship'. The crew of the ship have the freedom of the city and the ship is affiliated to several Nottingham based charities and organisations.

• The Mercian Regiment
• No. 8 Squadron RAF
• No. 56(R) Squadron RAF
• 307 (South Nottinghamshire Hussars Yeomanry RHA) Battery, 100 (Yeomanry) Regiment, Royal Artillery
• Worshipful Company of Saddlers
• City of Nottingham

• Official HMS Nottingham website of the Royal Navy
• BBC Virtual Tour
• BBC 360° Tour
• Warship at sea after £39m repairs

Commissioned Royal Navy Ships

Aircraft carriers Invincible-class HMS Illustrious | HMS Ark Royal Submarines Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarine HMS Vanguard | HMS Victorious | HMS Vigilant | HMS Vengeance Swiftsure-class fleet submarine HMS Superb | HMS Sceptre Trafalgar-class fleet submarine HMS Trafalgar | HMS Turbulent | HMS Tireless | HMS Torbay | HMS Trenchant | HMS Talent | HMS Triumph Destroyers Type 42 (Sheffield/Manchester-class) HMS Exeter | HMS Southampton | HMS Nottingham | HMS Liverpool | HMS Manchester | HMS Gloucester | HMS Edinburgh | HMS York Frigates Type 22 (Broadsword-class) HMS Cornwall | HMS Cumberland | HMS Campbeltown | HMS Chatham Type 23 (Duke-class) HMS Argyll | HMS Lancaster | HMS Iron Duke | HMS Monmouth | HMS Montrose | HMS Westminster | HMS Northumberland | HMS Richmond | HMS Somerset | HMS Sutherland | HMS Kent | HMS Portland | HMS St Albans Landing vessels Albion-class Landing Platform, Docks HMS Albion | HMS Bulwark Landing Platform, Helicopter HMS Ocean Mine countermeasures vessels Sandown-class HMS Walney | HMS Penzance | HMS Pembroke | HMS Grimsby | HMS Bangor | HMS Ramsey | HMS Blyth | HMS Shoreham Hunt-class HMS Ledbury | HMS Cattistock | HMS Brocklesby | HMS Middleton | HMS Chiddingfold | HMS Atherstone | HMS Hurworth | HMS Quorn Patrol vessels Antarctic ice-patrol ship HMS Endurance River-class HMS Mersey | HMS Severn | HMS Tyne | HMS Clyde Castle- class HMS Dumbarton Castle Archer-class HMS Archer | HMS Biter | HMS Smiter | HMS Blazer | HMS Puncher | HMS Charger | HMS Ranger | HMS Trumpeter | HMS Express | HMS Example | HMS Explorer | HMS Exploit | HMS Tracker | HMS Raider | HMS Pursuer | HMS Dasher Scimitar-class HMS Scimitar | HMS Sabre Survey vessels Ocean-going survey vessel HMS Scott Coastal survey vessel HMS Roebuck Echo-class multi-role survey vessel HMS Echo | HMS Enterprise Survey launch HMS Gleaner Miscellaneous vessels Type 82 destroyer HMS Bristol (Static training vessel) C class cruiser HMS Caroline (Shore establishment) First-rate ship of the line HMS Victory (Flagship of the Second Sea Lord)

List of Royal Navy ship names