The former Royal Navy warship HMS Monmouth has been sold to a Turkish ship recycling company, bringing an end to her 28-year career at sea.

The Type 23 frigate, known affectionately as the ‘Black Duke’, has been transferred for dismantling and recycling following her retirement from active service in 2021.

The sale was managed by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Exports and Sales team, formerly known as the Defence Equipment Sales Authority. The vessel was sold strictly for recycling, with the process overseen to ensure ethical and environmentally responsible disposal.

Expressions of interest were sought from facilities listed on the European List of approved ship recycling yards. After a competitive tendering process, Turkish firm Leyal Gemi Sokum Sanayi Ve Ticaret Ltd Sti was awarded the contract.

Richard Whalley, Head of the DE&S Exports and Sales team and a former Lieutenant aboard HMS Monmouth, commented:

“It is always a sad day when you see a ship that was a significant part of your life heading for disposal, but I am happy at least that the sale of HMS Monmouth for recycling in Turkey will provide an ethical and responsible method of recovering metals and other valuable assets. A fitting end for a ship that has served the nation well.”

Commissioned in 1993 during the final years of the Cold War, HMS Monmouth was built primarily as a submarine hunter. Over her career, she played a versatile role—from counter-piracy operations off Somalia to delivering humanitarian assistance during the Sierra Leone Civil War. Her deployments spanned the globe, including the Antarctic, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, and a circumnavigation of the world.

Her final major deployment came in 2018, when she accompanied the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth on a voyage to the United States. She was formally decommissioned on 30 June 2021 and departed Portsmouth for Turkey on 3 April 2025.

HMS Monmouth was the sixth vessel in the 16-strong Duke-class (Type 23) frigate fleet. She is now being succeeded by the Royal Navy’s next-generation frigates. Eight Type 26 frigates—known as the City-class—are under construction in Glasgow and will take on anti-submarine warfare duties.

Additionally, five Type 31 frigates, or Inspiration-class vessels, are being built in Rosyth to replace general-purpose frigates in the outgoing Type 23 class.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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30 COMMENTS

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        • Pointless, it’s beyond being economical to keep it in service, what’s the good in letting it deteriorate further?

          • if it did, then everyone at the MOD would be sacked it will still be part of a fleet desperately low in numbers

    • Ahh, but then you would lose out on the few quid you get from the scrappers, and given every UK government’s reluctance to spend on defence, every last penny counts!

      • The cost of

        stripping and decontaminating; and
        Sealing up; and
        Instrumenting; and
        Running a SINKEX

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          • if it did, then everyone at the MOD would be sacked it will still be part of a fleet desperately low in numbers SOD OFF

    • Not “Clearly” at all. It cost’s a whole heap of money to decontaminate on it’s own, let alone all the other costs.

  4. If only the ministry of defence could run a project on time and on budget. No other business in the world operates like it (dodgy deals) M.O.D. usually a clause of max 20% overspend is written in. Not with our M.O.D.

    • And few businesses have to handle so many extremely complex projects at the same time. While also trying to plan for what we will need in 10+ years time.

    • I had to laugh at this, we always complain that we are terrible before looking at others. We are in the same boat as countries such as Germany who cannot plan and implement infrastructure projects to save their lives. An example would be the upgrade to Stuttgart mainline station called Project 2021 when it started… whenever. They have now dropped the name as its 2025 and they have no idea when it will be completed. My guess is 2031.
      We could do what China does but that means nobody has a say and just has to put up with the decisions, but they get projects completed.
      The MoD needs to change the way the specify and run projects, get the minimum capability delivered then spiral develop enhancements, that way you get new kit quicker and maintain the industrial infrastructure by performing regular updates. But get the military away from being Project Managers, its not their role or expertise, they should have oversight with the key part being delivered on time and budget. No mission creep will help projects get delivered on time and budget.

      • if a ship can float, move and fight, it’s worth keeping. our leaders in the navy dependent at the MOD are inept, I’ll equipped to do the job, or just plain weak. shut the MOD and start again l.

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  6. IF YOU SCRAP THE NUMBER OF ADMIRALS TO RN SHIPS, YOU MIGHT GET SOMEWHERE NEAR TO A DECENT NAVY.. AND HAS THE NAVY GOT ENOUGH SHIPS TO PROTECT THOSE TWO WHITE ELEPHANTS??.

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