Protug 87 tows HMS Westminster away from HMNB Portsmouth for the last time (Picture: BFBS) It marks the end of an era for a former Royal Navy Type 23 frigate that has served since 1992, and was well known in the Falkland Islands given her recurrent visits a South Atlantic patrol.
HMS Westminster (F237) left HMNB Portsmouth for the final time, joining ranks with HMS Argyll, HMS Montrose and HMS Northumberland, as the Royal Navy retires its older Type 23 frigates.
Known as the 'capital ship' throughout the Royal Navy, the retired vessel's versatility has seen her used in many fleet roles, from warfighting to peacekeeping missions, despite having originally been designed for anti-submarine warfare.
The first HMS Westminster (L40) was a W-class destroyer, built to deal with the Germany's U-boat menace during the First World War. The vessel then saw action during the Blitzkrieg campaign of 1940, helping to evacuate Allied troops from the Dutch port of Flushing, before being damaged off Dunkirk.
After the war, Westminster operated out of Rosyth and Malta, but was sold in July 1963, arriving in Faslane later that month to be broken up for scrap.
The HMS Westminster we know today was launched on 4 February 1992. She pivoted from hunting submarines to spending most of her career on Nato patrols, Gulf taskings and counter-piracy operations.
She also had a starring role in the 1997 James Bond film 'Tomorrow Never Dies', and called in the Falklands several times.
In March 2011, Westminster took part in Operation Ellamy, the name for the UK mission to enforce the United Nations resolution to protect Libyan citizens.
The 32-year-old frigate completed one Life Extension refit in Portsmouth in 2017.
However, in May 2024, Conservative MP James Cartlidge, then Minister of State for Defense Procurement, said that HMS Westminster would be placed up for disposal.
The vessel will head to Aliaga in Turkey to be scrapped. The Royal Navy will then be left then with five Type 23 frigates, when at its best time it numbered thirteen.