HMS York (D98)

HMS York was a Batch III Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Launched on 20 June 1982 at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear and sponsored by Lady Gosling, York was the last Type 42 built. The ship's crest was the White Rose of York, and the "red cross with lions passant" funnel badge was derived from the coat of arms of the City of York. With a maximum speed of 34 kn, she was the Royal Navy's fastest destroyer.

Operational history
In 2003 she took part in the invasion of Iraq providing air cover and area protection for the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R07). In 2004 she was fitted with the MOD 1 variant of the mark 8 4.5 inch gun. She and HMS Edinburgh (D97) were the only two Type 42s to be so fitted.

In July 2006, York joined HMS Gloucester (D96) in evacuating British citizens from Beirut in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict making several trips in and out of Lebanon, ferrying evacuees to Cyprus.

In February 2010, York and the auxiliary RFA Wave Ruler were deployed in the Falkland Islands coinciding with a period of increased tensions between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the former's plans to begin drilling for oil in the seas surrounding the islands.

In February 2011, York was deployed to Malta to assist in the evacuation of British nationals from Libya.

On 21 April 2011, York arrived at the East Cove Military Port in the Falkland Islands, beginning patrol duties for the islands.

On 12 December 2011 York spotted the Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov with its carrier group northeast of Orkney, off the coast of northern Scotland, and shadowed the carrier for a week. This was the first time Kuznetsov had deployed near UK waters and the closest in 20 years that a Russian naval task group had deployed to the UK. She then sailed around the top of Scotland and into the Atlantic past western Ireland, where she conducted flying operations with her Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker jets and Kamov Ka-27 helicopters in international airspace. On 13 April 2012 HMS Edinburgh fired the last ever operational Sea Dart missiles after a thirty year career. As such York  will complete her career without the system being operational.

She entered Portsmouth harbour for the final time on 20 September 2012, and was decommissioned on 27 September 2012.

Affiliations

 * City of York
 * The Yorkshire Regiment (14th/15th, 19th and 33rd/76th Foot)