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HMS Newcastle

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There have been eight Newcastle's in the Royal Navy serving her nation with distinction. Newcastle's motto is "Fortitudino Vinco" (I conquer through strength) and though the current HMS Newcastle is one of the original Type 42s she still is an imposing 'ship for any would-be agressors.

HMS Newcastle (1653-1703)

The first HMS Newcastle was built in 1653 and was a Fourth-rate frigate of 54-guns. Her first action was in 1655, when she, along with fourteen other warships, sailed into Porto Farina in Algiers, engaging Barbary Pirates, resulting in the destruction of the pirates entire fleet, winning the names first battle honour. In 1657 she took part in Admiral Blake's daring attack on Santa Cruz in Tenerife in 1657. In 1703, after many years of skirmishes and battles with such diverse nations as France, Holland and Spain, not to mention the Barbary Pirates, Newcastle came to a rather tragic end, with her being sunk, not in battle, but by a storm off Spithead.

HMS Newcastle (1704-1746)

The second Newcastle was built in 1704 and was also a Fourth-rate 54-gun frigate. The following year, she gained the first battle honour of her career at Marbela, attacking French convoys. The rest of her career was mainly spent in the Carribean and Mediterranean before she was sold in 1746.

HMS Newcastle (1750-1761)

The third Newcastle was built at Portsmouth in 1750. Her first actions were off Madras during the Seven Years War assisting the legendary Clive of India in his campaigns in India. She saw numerous skirmishes with the French Navy throughout her relatively short career. Her career came to an equally cruel end as her predecessor, when in 1761 she was sunk in a cyclone.

HMS Newcastle (1813-1850)

The fourth HMS Newcastle came about, due to a requirement for fast frigates to deploy for action against the Americans during the War of 1812. Though larger and carrying more powerful guns than her predecessors, Newcastle had a far more mundane and inactive career eventually being sold for scrap in Liverpool in 1850.

HMS Newcastle (1860-1929)

The fifth Newcastle, a screw frigate, meaning she was able to use sail and steam as a way of propulsion. She was launcedh in 1860 at Deptford. She had quite a large displacement of 4,020 tonnes and an armament of 31-guns. Her most active duty during her career, was as part of the Flying Squadron of 1874-77 , with the rest of her career spent as a powder hulk in Devonport, when in 1929 she was finally broken up.

HMS Newcastle (1910-1921)

The sixth HMS Newcastle was commissioned in 1910 and was a Bristol Class light cruiser of 4,900 tonnes, and armed with 2 x 6-inch guns and 10 x 4-inch guns. She was potentially the first true cruiser class to enter the Royal Navy, since previous warships had basically been fast or second class battleships. She spent most of her career in the China Station, though when war broke out in 1914 she bombarded Yap, prior to deploying to Valparaíso to search for the armed merchant raider SMS Prinz Eitel Friedrich. In 1916 she joined the Mediterranean Fleet and in 1917 was attached to the Colombo Patrol. Her final duty was in South America, where she patrolled till WW1 came to a close. In 1921, she was finally sold, and of the Bristol Class eventually having a similar fate throughout the 20s.

HMS Newcastle (1937-1958)

The seventh HMS Newcastle was a Southampton Class cruiser and launched by Her Grace the Duchess of of Northumberland. She had numerous incidents in the initial part of World War II, including an attack on two German destroyers at Brest which damaged them badly. She took part in a abortive operation under Vice-Admiral Somerville against the Italians at Cape Spartivento, winning her only battle honour of the war. After a deployment to the South Atlantic, in which she was engaged against blockade-runners, Newcastle deployed to the East and then a re-deployment to the Mediterranean.

Shortly after returning to action from a repair in the USA, after an attack by an E-Boat in her Mediterranean deployment, she was attached to the Eastern Fleet at Ceylon, acting as the lead ship of the Fourth Cruiser Squadron. During her deployment to the Eastern Fleet, she took part in the bombardment of numerous Japanese-held islands, and also supported the Fourteenth Army in ther campaigns in Burma. In 1952 she had a radical overhaul, and in 1952 saw action during the Korean War. In 1958 she was, after an extensive and distinguished career, sold for scrap.

HMS Newcastle (1978-present)

The eight and current HMS Newcastle (D87) is a Type 42 (Batch 1), and is much smaller than the Batch 3 of the Type 42 class. In 1998, HMS Newcastle, made her way to the British territory of Montserrat, some time after the devastating volcano eruption, to assist the population, who were still very distressed over the event. In 1999, Newcastle escorted HMS Invincible (R05) during the Kosovo War, in which HMS Invincible (R05) performed with distinction, launching precise and deadly attacks on Serbian targets. HMS Newcastle's last active duty so far was a six-month Atlantic Patrol Deployment in 2002, in which she also visited Sierra Leone, aimed at displaying the continuing UK commitment to Sierra Leone. She is the longest serving Type 42 in Royal Navy service, and speculation has been rife that the 4 Batch 1 T-42s may well be decommissioned.

Type 42 (Batch 1) Statistics

  • Displacement: 4,820 tonnes
  • Length: 125 metres/410 feet
  • Beam: 14.3 metres/47 feet
  • Speed: 30 knots
  • Complement: 287 (Max.312)
  • Armament
    • Twin Sea Dart Missile launcher
    • 114mm (4.5 inch) Mk 8 gun
    • 2 x 20mm Close range guns
    • 2 x Vulcan Phalanx close in weapons system (CIWS)
    • 2 x Triple anti submarine torpedo tubes
    • NATO Seagnat and DLF3 Decoy Launchers
  • Aircraft: Lynx MK 8 helicopters:
    • Armament:
      • Sea Skua anti-ship missiles
      • Stingray anti-submarine torpedoes
      • Mk 11 depth charges
      • Machine guns
  • Propulsion: COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) turbines, 2 shafts, 2 turbines producing 36MW

Affiliations

Battle Honours

Porto Farina 1655, Santa Cruz 1657, Lowestoft 1665,Orfordness 1666, Schooneveld 1673, Texel 1673, Marbella 1705, Sadras 1758, Negapatam 1758, Porto Novo 1759, Spartivento 1940, Burma 1944-45, Korea 1952-53

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