Built by the yard of Hall Russell at Aberdeen for the Royal Navy as a fast patrol vessel.
08 August 1980 ordered.
18 October 1979, laid down.
22 October 1980, launched, she was christened by Lady Speed the wife of the Navy Minister Keith Speed. She was named HMS LEEDS CASTLE one of the Castle Class.
Tonnage 1.475 displacement, dim. 81 x 11.5 x 3m. (draught)
Powered by two Ruston diesels 12 RKC 5.640 hp, two shafts, speed maximum 20 knots.
Armament: 1 – 30mm, 2 – 7.62 mm guns.
Crew 42 and accommodation for 25 Royal Marineers.
No hangar space but capable of receiving a Lynx, Merlin or Sea King helicopter on her flight deck.
For a short time she can transport 120 troops, for a longer stay on board 30 troops.
27 October 1980, commissioned. Homeport Portsmouth
During the 1960s a number of Ton Class minesweepers underwent conversions into patrol craft and served with the Fishery Protection and Northern Ireland Squadrons.
The Castle Class was designed as purpose built Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) to either relegate the aging Ton Class vessels to coastal waters or replace them altogether.
Only two vessels of this class were built, the other was the HMS DUMBARTON CASTLE (P265).
She was built of a cost of £12 million each.
She are used for Offshore patrol in the North Sea oil and gas fields, and protect the installations against terrorist action. When operated in her anti-terrorist role as protector of the North-Sea oil and gas rigs, undoubtedly members of the special SBS forces are on board. Mostly one is stationed in the North Sea; the other is used in the South Atlantic as Falkland Island patrol vessel.
The class has a secondary-warfare role as minelayers.
08 August 2005 she arrived at Portsmouth, U.K. and was decommissioned.
2009 Still awaiting disposal.
2010 Sold to the Bangladesh Navy and renamed DHALESHWARI.
St Helena 2002 20p sg?, scott?
Source: Various web-sites.