HMS Plymouth (F126)

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HMS Plymouth (F126) was a Royal Navy Rothesay-class frigate. She was about 370 feet long, displaced around 2,150 tons, and could reach speeds of about 30 knots. Built at Devonport Dockyard, she was laid down on 1 July 1958, launched on 20 July 1959, and commissioned on 11 May 1961. Plymouth carried a mix of guns, anti-submarine weapons, and radar, and was later upgraded to include a helicopter hangar and more modern sensors and Sea Cat air defense.

Service history in brief
- Plymouth served as a NATO and Royal Navy escort and patrol ship, including participation in the Beira Patrol in the mid-1960s.
- In 1970 she took part in Cook Bicentennial celebrations in Sydney and then returned to duties around the Indian Ocean and Beira.
- In 1982, during the Falklands War, Plymouth was among the first Royal Navy ships to reach the South Atlantic. She supported ground forces at South Georgia, helped defend the landing areas, and provided naval gunfire support. Plymouth was damaged by Argentine bombers during the campaign but was repaired and returned to duty. She was among the first British ships to enter Port Stanley after the fighting ended.
- After the Falklands War, Plymouth continued to serve with the Royal Navy, including a stint as the West Indies guard ship in 1983. She endured a collision with the German destroyer Braunschweig in 1984 and a boiler-room fire in 1986 that killed two sailors.

Decommissioning and fate
- Plymouth was paid off on 28 April 1988, becoming the last Type 12 frigate in service. She was saved from scrapping for a time and became a museum ship, moving between ships’ sheds and docks in the UK.
- Despite preservation efforts, Plymouth was sold for scrapping in 2012. She was towed to Turkey and scrapped in 2014 at Aliağa after a prolonged battle over ownership and berthing.