HMS Southampton was a batch two Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was named after the city of Southampton, England, and built by Vosper Thornycroft, in Southampton. She was the sixth Royal Navy ship to bear the name.

Operational service

1981–2005

In 1982, Southampton ran over one of the Shambles Buoys off Portland during the final Thursday War intended to prepare her to deploy to the Falklands Islands. The collision sank the buoy and resulted in a period in dry dock for repair, after which Southampton left for a six-month deployment as a Falkland Islands guard ship. On 3 September 1988, whilst serving on the Armilla Patrol, Southampton was involved in a collision with MV Tor Bay, a container ship in a convoy being escorted through the Straits of Hormuz. Three members of her crew were slightly injured and a 10 m hole torn in Southampton's hull. The destroyer was returned to the UK aboard a semi-submersible heavy lift ship.

2006–2011

On 3 February 2006, the ship was involved in the seizing of 3.5 t of cocaine in the Caribbean.

Fate

On 31 July 2008, Southampton was placed in a state of "Extended Readiness" and was decommissioned on 12 February 2009. The ship was auctioned on 28 March 2011 and was later towed from Portsmouth on 14 October 2011 to Leyal Ship Recycling's scrapyard in Aliağa, Turkey.

Affiliations