Between next September and January 2008 Chile will be incorporating three former Royal Navy Type 23 frigates, HMS Norfolk, HMS Grafton and HMS Marlborough. HMS Norfolk under the name of “Almirante Cochrane” will be transferred next September 2006; in April 2007 HMS Grafton becomes “Almirante Lynch” and in January 2008, HMS Marlborough becomes “Almirante Condell”. All three frigates have been involved in South Atlantic and Falklands’ patrolling.
By 2008 the Chilean Navy will have renewed her surface fleet with four former Royal Navy frigates, the above mentioned and the former HMS Sheffield already on service, plus four new Dutch built frigates. The renovation also includes two brand new submarines jointly built in France and Spain, one of which has been delivered and a second which is finishing sailing tests and will officially fly the Chilean colours this month.
With that purpose Chile’s Defence Minister Vivianne Blanlot left this weekend for Holland, Spain and finally United States to meet with US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld.
Next Monday in Holland Ms Blanlot will be present at the commissioning ceremony of L Class frigate “Capitan Prat”, the third of the four built in Dutch shipyards.
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