Tuesday 14 March 2017

HMS St Albans

A warship came in the Sound from the west just before midday this morning but with the haze whipped up by a brisk westerly and the sun behind her, it wasn't immediately possible to identify her, but....

....she suddenly turned towards the Kilchoan side, much to the excitement of a small flock of greylag geese.

As she came closer it was possible to see her pennant number, F83, the 'F' indicating that she's a frigate. This is HMS St Albans, a type 23 frigate, the sixteenth and last of the Duke class to be launched, in 2000.

She seemed in no hurry to go anywhere, steaming slowly into the wind until, almost half an hour after coming in, she picked up speed and disappeared round Sron Beag.

Unusually for an RN ship, she had her AIS transponder turned on so it's possible to see her meandering track - courtesy Marine Traffic. Some NATO ships seem always to have their  transponder on. This is the first time for a British ship.

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