(Click this Royal Navy frigate, HMS Monmouth text link to see the largest size)
The photo was taken on a cycle ride (1) at 7.17 pm on Wednesday, 26th of May, 2010, from a point between the Porthole Shelters (to the right) and the Lighthouse and Harbour View Cafe (to the left) on the Prince of Wales Pier.
HMS Monmouth is shown en route to Ramsgate on the eve of taking part in a re-enactment of the World War II Dunkerque/Dunkirk evacuation. A BBC News article for the 26th said (2):
A fleet of 'Little Ships' that took part in the Dunkirk evacuations has gathered in Ramsgate ahead of the 70th anniversary of the event.
Up to 60 small vessels that assisted in Operation Dynamo (3), which started on 26 May 1940, will re-enact their journey.
A fleet of fishing boats and pleasure craft assisted naval vessels in the evacuation of about 300,000 Allied troops from the French coast.
Ramsgate's Royal Harbour Marina was the reception centre for returning troops.
On the 27th of May, the UK Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote (4):
Second World War veterans will make an emotional journey across the English Channel to Dunkirk today to mark the 70th anniversary of the celebrated evacuation.
The former troops, accompanied by their families, will attend a ceremony at the French port to commemorate the historic rescue mission.
They will set sail from Dover following a departure ceremony attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent's office, senior military, government officials, police and others.
The Parachute Regimental Band will perform on the dockside, together with a 200-voice choir from the Royal Choral Society, who will also accompany the veterans on the journey to Dunkirk.
Fifty of the original "little ships" involved in the evacuation - many of which were private fishing or pleasure boats drafted in to help - will also set sail for Dunkirk.
They began leaving Ramsgate in Kent this morning and will be escorted by HMS Monmouth.
Video - "Dunkirk veterans mark 70th anniversary", a British Television report from ITN News:
HMS Monmouth (F235) is the sixth Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the seventh ship to bear the name and was launched on the 23rd of November, 1991, by Lady Eaton. The warship was commissioned two years later in 1993.
Affectionately known as 'The Black Duke', HMS Monmouth is the only ship in service with the Royal Navy that has its name painted in black and flies a plain black flag in addition to the ensign. This is due to the dissolution of the title and the blacking out of the Coat of Arms of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth in 1685 following the Monmouth Rebellion against James II of England.
HMS Monmouth has more battle honours than any other ship in the Fleet:
Sole Bay 1672, Texel 1673, Barfleur 1692, Vigo 1702, Gibraltar 1704, Velez Malaga 1704, Finisterre 1747, Ushant 1747, Foudroyant 1758, Belle Isle 1761, Sadras 1782, Providien 1782, Negapatam 1782, Trincomalee 1782, Camperdown 1797, Egypt 1801.
Ship's details
Operator: Royal Navy (Ministry of Defence website)
Ordered: July 1988
Builder: Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down: 1 June 1989
Launched: 23 November 1991
Commissioned: 24 September 1993
Homeport: HMNB Devonport, Plymouth (Her Majesty's Naval Base)
Motto: 'Fear Nothing But God'
Status: In active service, as of 2010
General Characteristics (2):
Class and type: 'Duke'-class Type 23 frigate
Displacement: 4,900 tonnes
Length: 133 m (463 ft 3 in)
Beam: 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught: 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion: CODLAG (Combined Diesel-eLectric And Gas), 2 × Rolls-Royce Spey boost gas-turbines, 4 × Paxman Valenta diesel engines, 2 × GEC electric motors
Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h)
15 knots (28 km/h) on diesel-electric
Range: 7,800 nautical miles (14,400 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 185
Armament: 2 x quadruple Harpoon launchers total of 8 harpoons, 1 x Sea Wolf GWS.26 VLS total of 32 missiles, 2 x twin 12.75in (324mm) tubes for Stingray ASW torpedoes total of 24 torpedoes, 1 x 4.5-inch Mk 8 DP gun, 2 x DS 30B 30mm AA guns, 2 x CIWS
Aircraft carried: 1 x Lynx HMA.Mk3/8 or Merlin HM.Mk 1 helicopter armed with anti submarine and ship missiles and torpedoes.
Official HMS Monmouth webpage.
Operational History
Monmouth visited Wellington in June 1995 in company with RFA Brambleleaf, the first UK or US warship to visit New Zealand since the 1985 ANZUS dispute.
In early 2004 the ship was assigned to the Atlantic Patrol Task North (formerly known as the West Indies Guard Ship). In 2006 Monmouth underwent operational sea training, conducted by Flag Officer Sea Training, in which she spent six weeks fighting off staged attacks by ships and submarines.
Monmouth returned to berth at her home port HMNB Devonport on 3 December 2007 having completed a circumnavigation of the globe, visiting Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii and taking part in a FPDA Exercise (Five Power Defence Arrangements).
In 2008 she went into refit and in 2009 deployed to the Gulf, returning in April 2010.
On 27 May 2010, she escorted the fleet of "little ships" commemorating the 70th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk on 27 May-4 June 1940 of approximately 340,000 British and French soldiers, and one of the most celebrated military events in British history.
Monmouth spent June 2011 in the Indian Ocean patrolling the waters off Somalia as part of the ongoing multi-national anti-piracy operations in the region. The deployment also saw her spend some time in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles where she took part in the islands' Independence celebrations.
Robsons Yard Flats
(1) Cycle route begins at Robsons Yard Flats in the Tower Hamlets area of Dover, then: Athol Terrace (Eastern Docks) - Seafront Promenade - Prince of Wales Pier (Western Docks) - Robsons Yard.
This is where I do my Evolution and Psychology research! (archive)
(2) BBC News: "Ships gather in Ramsgate ahead of Dunkirk re-enactment"
(3) Operation Dynamo took its name from the dynamo room in the naval headquarters below Dover Castle, which contained the dynamo that provided the building with electricity during the war. It was in this room that British Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay planned the operation and briefed Winston Churchill as it was under way.
A Statue of Admiral Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, who organised the evacuation of the Allied forces, is located in the grounds of Dover Castle.
Some film footage of the Dunkirk evacuation is shown in "Dover in World War Two: 1942", a ten minute British Ministry of Information film, released by the US Office of War Information, and narrated by the American journalist, Edward R. Murrow.
(4) From: "Dunkirk veterans return to site of evacuation"
(5) Wikipedia: HMS Monmouth.
The main photo first appeared at:
F235 HMS Monmouth prior to 70th Anniversary of Dunkirk, Admiralty Pier, Dover Harbour
Also see (when uploaded!) the "Royal Navy Landing Craft, Western Docks, Dover Harbour" photo, taken on May 29th, 2010.
The landing craft is shown on its way to Dunkirk, France, to pick up cyclists who participated in a bike ride to aid the Help for Heroes charity (co-incident with the 70th Anniversary Dunkirk evacuation commemorations).
And:
Coming soon:
We Will Remember Them..., Dunkirk War Memorial, Dover Seafront
Cliff Casemates Balcony, Secret Wartime Tunnels Entrance, Dover Castle
The Admiralty Lookout and Port War Signal Station, Dover Castle
The Stone Map and Statue of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Dover Castle (side view)
Statue of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay and The Stone Map, Dover Castle (front view)
Of related interest:
Customs Cutter HMCC Seeker in the Tug Haven of Dover Harbour
P165 HMS Example Fast Training Boat, Tidal Harbour, Dover Marina
Links to the main Images of Dover website:
All British Army, Navy, and Royal Navy-related photos first appear under the British Army, Navy, and Royal Navy category labels.
A Port of Dover Harbour, History, Western Docks, and World War II photo.
Clickable thumbnails of all harbour-related photos on the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog on the Port of Dover Page (also linked to below the blog title).
The Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.
John Latter / Jorolat
Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town
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