HMS Brave (F94)

HMS "Brave" (F94) was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. HMS "Brave" was decommissioned on 23 March 1999 and was expended as a target in August 2004 by HMS Sceptre and HMS Argyll.

First commission and trials

She cost some £250m to build and spent most of her first commission (1985-1987) as a trials ship. She achieved various firsts in her weapons and communications fit. Thus, from 1985-1987, HMS "Brave" had a number of civilian military contractors' personnel embarked and Commander Coyote, the Seawolf Trials mascot, became a familiar figure on board. She had a reputation as a "happy ship". It was not until the autumn of 1987 that she undertook Basic Operational Sea-Training (BOST) at Portland and joined the Fleet as a fully worked-up unit.

Ship's officers

In her first commission she was part of the 9th Frigate Squadron and commanded by Captain W C (Paddy) McKnight LVO Royal Navy. The heads of department were:
*Executive Officer and First Lieutenant - Lieutenant-Commander Graham Edmonds RN
*Operations Officer - Lieutenant-Commander Nigel Chambers RN
*Marine Engineering Officer - Commander Barry Semke RN
*Weapons Engineering Officer - Commander Peter Tait RN
*Supply Officer - Lieutenant-Commander Lester May RNand
*Captain's Secretary - Lieutenant Mark P Cooter RN

Programme

Her programme from 1986 to 1987 included visits to Lowestoft, Gibraltar, Funchal, Madeira, Porto, London - alongside HMS "Belfast" in December 1986, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Alicante and Torquay. In January 1991 she was deployed to active service in the Gulf war. Whilst there she took onboard the admiral of the fleet for the sea based task force. Her duties included guarding the gun ships, sonar tasks and mine watching. On a couple of occasions she came close to mines which had been dispatched by the Iraq military. Her main task during normal service was sonar patrols and between 1990 and 1992 carried out many successful patrols of the waters around the UK.

Affiliations

She was at first affiliated to Waveney District and the port of Lowestoft, Suffolk; this followed from the last ship of the name's Second World War association with the Suffolk town of Beccles. Other associations included the Royal Irish Rangers, the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, the Algerines Association, and Sea Cadet and Combined Cadet Force units. She had also forged a liaison with the Mohawk Indians in Canada. TS "Mohawk" - Blackburn Sea Cadet Unit (Commanding Officer - Lieutenant G L Barrow RNR) had a strong liaison with the ship. Her final affiliation was with the town of Dover in 1996.