British Navy Officially Retires Frigate HMS Lancaster, to Be Scrapped in Bahrain

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom has officially retired the Type 23 frigate HMS Lancaster (F229). In recent years, the ship had been operating in the Persian Gulf as part of the UK’s permanent maritime presence in the region.

The Royal Navy reports that the ship will not return to Britain – it will be decommissioned and dismantled directly at the naval base in Bahrain.

In its final years of service, Lancaster played a key role in the UK’s mission in the Persian Gulf, providing maritime security, ensuring freedom of navigation, countering smuggling, and protecting trade routes. The frigate frequently participated in drug interdiction operations and worked with coalition partners to help maintain stability in this strategically important region.

The decision to decommission the ship was made after an unsuccessful attempt to certify it for further service. According to the Navy, the vessel’s technical condition does not allow it to transit the Suez Canal and return to British ports safely, so the command decided to end its service in Bahrain, where Lancaster completed its final rotation.

The ship’s crew will return to the United Kingdom after all procedures are completed.

The Navy emphasizes that Lancaster’s retirement will not affect the UK’s presence in the region — the Persian Gulf will continue to be patrolled by newer ships and modern patrol platforms.

HMS Lancaster entered service in 1992 and became the oldest operational frigate of its class. It served for 34 years, even though Type 23 frigates were initially designed for a service life of around 18 years.

During its service, Lancaster spent more than 4,000 days at sea, covered about 816,000 nautical miles, and took part in dozens of international operations from the Caribbean to the North Atlantic and the Middle East.

Despite the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster, its direct replacement in the Royal Navy is not expected in the coming years.

At present, new Type 26 frigates (built by BAE Systems) and Type 31 frigates (built by Babcock) are under construction for the Royal Navy. According to current plans, the first ships are not expected to enter service before 2028 – assuming the construction schedule does not experience delays.

After that, the Navy expects to receive one new frigate per year. However, given well-known issues in the defence sector, including delays caused by underfunding, administrative challenges, and technical factors, the timeline may be subject to revision.

Moreover, HMS Lancaster is only one of several Type 23 frigates that have been decommissioned in recent years without an immediate replacement. Therefore, even the arrival of a new frigate will not serve as a direct substitute for Lancaster.

Militarnyi previously reported that the UK Ministry of Defence had officially abandoned plans to modernize the frigate HMS Iron Duke, citing the excessively high cost of upgrading the ship as the main reason.