HMS Duncan (F80)


HMS Duncan was the fifth RN ship named after Admiral Adam Duncan. She was a of the Royal Navy that served in the Cod Wars.

Service

From her first commissioning in 1958 until 1965 Duncan was the leader of the Fishery Protection Squadron. She was involved in the First Cod War between United Kingdom and Iceland over fishing rights, intervening between the Icelandic coastguard and British trawlers.
She was an escort to the royal yacht in August 1960. Between 1960 and 1962 her captain was George Cunningham Leslie. In 1964 Duncan fired the salute at the opening of the new Forth Road Bridge. She was given the Freedom of the city of Hull for the part the vessel played in the Cod Wars. In 1966 she completed an extensive modernisation at Rosyth Naval Dockyard and in the following year attended Portsmouth Navy Days.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, who in 1968 was the first person to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the Earth while also winning the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, was a watch-keeping and communications officer on Duncan from January to April of that year.
In 1970 Duncan was again present at Portsmouth Navy Days, by this time she was part of the Portland Training Squadron. On 2 April 1971, Duncan paid off from the Portland Training Squadron.
During the early 1980s, Duncan served alongside the frigate as harbour training ship at Rosyth Dockyard for the marine engineering artificer apprentices from the shore base HMS Caledonia.

Publications