Mothballed HMS Westminster to be towed from Royal Navy's Portsmouth base for the last time - when, times
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The Type 23 frigate served in the Royal Navy for three decades before being decommissioned
A mothballed Royal Navy frigate that served for three decades will be leaving Portsmouth for the final time.
HMS Westminster is due to be towed out of HMNB Portsmouth tomorrow afternoon (July 24). According to the King’s Harbour Master shipping movements, she will be brought out of the North Corner Jetty at 1.15pm.
She will be towed by Protug 87, alongside Indulgent and Independent. The Type 23 frigate was taken out of Fareham Creek last month and brought into the naval base last month in preparation for her departure.
When she was originally brought to Portsmouth in September 2025, she was placed under the management of the Disposal Reserve Ships Organisation. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson previously said “no definitive decision” was made regarding her future.
HMS Westminster was retired alongside her sister ship, HMS Argyll, in May 2024 under the previous Conservative government. Long-held plans for the frigate to be refitted had been shelved. Royal Navy top brass were quizzed about the status of HMS Westminster in 2023.
Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, Mark Francois, previously said she was in such poor condition that she was likely not to be refitted, despite several years of loyal service to the crown. A lack of available manpower was also mooted in the national press as a reason behind the end of her career.
After being officially commissioned in 1994, HMS Westminster would go on to serve extensively in the Royal Navy. Many of the Duke-class ships are being retired due to their aging and deteriorating condition. Despite their hulls being designed for 18 years of service, many of them had careers as long as three decades.
HMS Montrose was towed out of Portsmouth for the final time last week. A Royal Navy spokesperson confirmed that she will be taken to Aliaga in Turkey to be scrapped. She was awarded to Leyal Ship Recycling (Leyal Gemi Sokum) for dismantling.
Modern and sophisticated Type 26 and 31 frigates are currently being built, but the first of these 13 ships will not be a part of the fleet until 2028 at the earliest. The majority of them will be ready in the early 2030s. Following the retirements of HMS Richmond and HMS Iron Duke, the Royal Navy now has just five frigates.