Built under yard No 1043 as a type 23 frigate by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd., Scotstoun for the Royal Navy.
January 1992 ordered.
12 October 1992 first section placed.
25 June 1994 launched under the name HMS SOMERSET (F82), she is the fourth ship in the Royal Navy to carry this name, christened by Lady Elspeth Layard, wife of the 10th Second Sea Lord Admiral Sir Michael Layard.
Displacement 3,500 tons standard, 4.200 tons full load, dim. 133 x 16.1 x 7.3m. (draught).
Powered CODLAG (combined Diesel and Gas) by two Rolls Royce Spey SM1A turbines, 31,100 shp. , and four Paxman-Valenta 12CM diesels, generators powering two GEC electric motors, 4,000 shp., twin shafts, speed 28 knots, diesel electric 15 knots.
Range by a speed of 15 knots, 9,000 miles.
Armament: Armament: Two quadruple Harpoon launchers, total 8 harpoons SSMs. Two Sea Wolf GWS26 VLS for a total of 32 missiles. Two twin 12.75 inch torpedo tubes for Stingray ASW torpedoes, she carried 24 torpedoes.
1 – 4.5 inch MK 8 DP gun. 2 – DS 30B 30mm AA guns. Two CIWS, and Seagnat and DFL 3 decoy launchers.
Carried one Merlin MH1 helicopter.
Crew 186.
20 September 1996 commissioned.
HMS SOMERSET is the eleventh of the class to join the fleet since 1989. The fourth HMS SOMERSET to serve in the Royal Navy, she has four battle honours from Vigo Bay (1702), Velez Malaga (1704), Louisburg (1758) and Quebec (1759). The previous ships all served during the 18th Century and ensured that the name HMS Somerset played a significant part in that period of naval history.
HMS SOMERSET's home port is HMNB Devonport. The ship has the Freedom of the City of Wells and is also affiliated with the County of Somerset, the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, the 2nd and 4th Battalions of The Rifles (inherited from affiliation with the Royal Green Jackets Regiment), TS Weston and TS Queen Elizabeth Sea Cadet Units, Downside, Baytree and Helles Schools, Bridgwater College and the Somerset Legion House of The Royal British Legion. The 19th Duke of Somerset takes a keen interest in the ship and is a regular visitor, and the ship also hosted Harry Patch, Simon Weston (in place of Johnson Beharry) and Marcus Trescothick whilst docked at Avonmouth for a remembrance service to launch the 2008 British Legion Poppy Appeal
In 2007, the first at-sea firing trials of the UK Royal Navy's (RN's) new DS30M 30 mm Automated Small Calibre Gun (ASCG) system were completed by HMS SOMERSET.
On 18 February 2009, SOMERSET sailed from Devonport as part of the Taurus 09 deployment under Commander UK Amphibious Task Group, Commodore Peter Hudson, She is joined on this deployment by Landing Platform Dock HMS BULWARK, as Hudson's flagship, Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH) HMS OCEAN Type 23 Frigate HMS ARGYLL and four ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
28 May 2010 she left Devonport for a six month deployment to the Gulf, her primary role on the deployment was to protecting the oil platforms, vital to the Iraqi economy and the reconstruction effort of the coalition campaign. HMS SOMERSET’s maritime security operations continued throughout the Arabian Gulf and contributed to counter-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa.
02 December 2010 she arrived home.
2011 In service.
Tristan da Cunha 2001 60p sg730, scott?
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Somerset_%28F82%29 The Encyclopedia of Warships. Various other web-sites.