HMS Cleopatra (F28)
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HMS Cleopatra (F28) was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). Cleopatra was built at Devonport by H.M. Dockyard. She was launched on the 25th March 1964 and commissioned on the 4th January 1966.
Upon Cleopatra's commissioning, she joined the 24th Escort Squadron and subsequently became a training ship, being based in a variety of ports. She was soon back on active service however, when she deployed to the Far East in 1968 and then participated in the Beira Patrol, which was designed to prevent oil reaching the lacklocked Rhodesia via the then Portuguese colony of Mozambique.
In 1972, Cleopatra took part in escort duties during the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's South East Asia tour. In 1973, Cleopatra began her modernisation, becoming the first Batch Two Leander to do so, which included the removal of her one twin 4.5-in gun to allow the addition of the Exocet anti-ship missile system. In 1977, Cleopatra, like many other Leanders, took part in the last Fleet Review of the RN so far in celebration of HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Cleopatra was positioned in the middle of HM ships Zulu and Arethusa.
In 1981, Cleopatra deployed to the Mediterranean, which still had a large RN presence at the time. The following year, Cleopatra was fitted with the new towed array sonar. Further duties were undertaken but by the late 1980s, Cleopatra's age was beginning to show and her time was coming to an end. On the 31st January 1992, Cleopatra was decommissioned. The following year, Cleopatra was sold for scrap.
See HMS Cleopatra for other ships of the name.
Leander-class frigate |
Achilles | Ajax | Andromeda | Apollo | Arethusa | Ariadne | Argonaut | Aurora | Bacchante | Charybdis | Cleopatra | Danae | Dido | Diomede | Euryalus | Galatea | Hermione | Juno | Jupiter | Leander | Minerva | Naiad | Penelope | Phoebe | Scylla | Sirius |
List of frigates of the Royal Navy |