HMS Boxer (F92)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Boxer.

300px Boxer in January 1999
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Boxer
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down:	1 November 1979
Launched:	17 June 1981
Commissioned:	22 December 1983
Decommissioned:	4 August 1999
Identification:	Pennant number: F92
Motto:	Praemonitus Praemunitis (Latin: "Forewarned is Forearmed")
Fate:	Sunk as a target vessel
General characteristics
Class & type:	Type 22 frigate
Displacement:	4,800 tons
Length:	146.5 m (481 ft)
Beam:	4.8 m (16 ft)
Draught:	6.4 m (21 ft)
Propulsion:	2-shaft COGOG 2 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B high-speed gas turbines (54,000 shp (40,000 kW)) 2 × Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C cruise gas turbines (9,700 shp (7,200 kW))
Speed:	18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) cruise 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) full
Range:	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi)
Complement:	273
Armament:	2 × 6 GWS25 Sea Wolf SAM launchers 4 × 1 Exocet SSM launchers 2 × Twin 30 mm AA guns 2 × 20 mm AA guns 4 × 7.62 mm GPMGs
Aircraft carried:	2 × Lynx MK 8 helicopters

HMS Boxer was the first of the Batch 2 Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy. She was decommissioned on 4 August 1999 and expended as a target in August 2004.

Service

Her nickname was The Billy B or Pinocchio, due to her extended bows. She was one of only two Batch 2s (the other being Beaver) fitted with the lower-height hangar of the Batch 1s, so she could only accommodate Lynx helicopters. On coming out of refit in 1990, with a clean bottom she achieved close to 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph).

During 1996 and 1997 she was leader of the 1st Frigate Squadron.

Commanding officers

From	To	Captain
1988	1990
1990	1992	Commander T J H Lawrence RN
1991	1993	Commander Richard Ibbotson RN
1993	1994	Commander Eric Fraser RN (later Cdre Fraser CBE)
1996	1997	Captain David A Lewis RN
1999	2001