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HMS NORFOLK
HMS Norfolk was the first of the modern generation of Type 23 frigates, launched by Princess Margaret in July 1987 and taking up the mantle of Naval service in November 1989.
The present HMS Norfolk is the sixth Naval vessel to bear the name. Her most recent predecessor was a County-class destroyer - the first Navy ship to be fitted with the Exocet missile - built in 1967 and later sold to Chile in 1982 and renamed Prat.
The fourth Norfolk was also a County-class, but this time a 9,925-ton cruiser built on the Clyde in 1928.
She distinguished herself during World War II, playing a significant role in the actions that resulted in the sinking of the German Bismarck and Scharnhorst.
The two antecedents of these Norfolks were a cutter hired for Naval use from 1807-12, and a third rate built in 1757 and scrapped in 1774.
The original HMS Norfolk of 1693 was an 80-gun Ship of the Line which won her first Battle Honour at Velez Malaga against a Franco-Spanish Fleet in 1704.
Toward the end of her long life, she was renamed the Princess Amelia in 1755 and took on harbour in 1777. Eventually she was transferred to the customs service in 1788.
The current HMS Norfolk is based in Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth.
