UK to Decommission Two Frigates and Mine Countermeasure Vessel

The Royal Navy has confirmed the withdrawal of three warships from service: the frigates HMS Iron Duke and HMS Richmond, as well as the mine countermeasure vessel HMS Chiddingfold.

This was reported by the Navy’s press service, which said their tasks would be transferred to the new Type 26 and Type 31 frigates and unmanned mine countermeasure systems, according to the UK Defence Journal.

The decision to decommission the older Type 23 frigates is explained by rising financial costs and technical risks associated with maintaining their combat capability.

The resources freed up are planned to be redirected to finance the construction of the next generation of ships and the development of unmanned systems.

The anti-submarine warfare tasks of HMS Richmond will be taken over by the new Type 26 City-class frigates, led by the lead ship HMS Glasgow.

The functions of HMS Iron Duke will be transferred to the promising multi-role Type 31 Inspiration-class frigates, which are currently under construction.

The mine countermeasure missions of the decommissioned HMS Chiddingfold will be performed by autonomous and remotely operated underwater vehicles, which the fleet is already testing and using in practice.

The Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond entered service in 1995. During its 30-year career, it carried out missions in the Middle East, participated in counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean and humanitarian operations in the Caribbean, and in 2025 accompanied the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales during a deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.

Its sister ship, HMS Iron Duke, joined the Royal Navy in 1993 and for a long time remained one of the fleet’s busiest ships. Its crew was regularly involved in patrols in the North Atlantic and in escorting Russian warships approaching British territorial waters.

The Hunt-class minesweeper HMS Chiddingfold is the oldest of the three, having been commissioned in 1984. The ship participated in the demining of the Persian Gulf after the end of the 1991 war, and for the past two decades has been based in Bahrain, ensuring the safety of shipping and the free passage of merchant vessels in the Middle East.

The modernization and renewal of the fleet is taking place as part of the UK’s Defense Investment Plan.

The program provides for the allocation of £1.3 billion for the development of a hybrid fleet and £1.1 billion for a new-generation mine countermeasures program.