HMS
St Albans
heads back out to sea after a longhaul refit at HMNB Devonport in Plymouth.
(Crown Copyright)

The UK Royal Navy’s (RN’s) Duke-class Type 23 frigate HMS
St Albans
(F 83) has returned to sea following the completion of a major life-extension (LIFEX) refit.

St Albans
departed HMNB Devonport on 1 March to begin a period of post-refit trials, the RN announced the same day.

After completing sea trials and subsequent UK-based training, the ship is planned to be returned to the fleet later in the second quarter of 2024.

St Albans
is the penultimate Type 23 frigate to undergo the LIFEX refit and only the second Type 23 frigate (after HMS
Richmond
) to successfully complete the power generation and machinery controls upgrade (PGMU).

The ship arrived at Babcock’s Royal Naval Dockyard, located inside HMNB Devonport, in 2019 to begin preparations for the LIFEX upgrade. The work – which took four-and-a-half years and 1.2 million working hours to complete – will enable
St Albans