Entering Portsmouth Harbour. 3/7/07

HMS Chatham F87

HMS Chatham (F87) is a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was guardship to the Royal Yacht Britannia when she withdrew from Hong Kong. In May 2000 Chatham was part of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) sent to the coast of Sierra Leone to oversee the evacuation of British, EU and Commonwealth nationals.
In December, 2004 the Chatham operated off the coast of Sri Lanka, carrying out relief operations after the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami.
On April 18, 2005, Chatham, at Alexandria, Egypt, sent a party ashore to provide a burial for the recently-uncovered remains of thirty British sailors and officers who had died during or after the Battle of the Nile in 1798.[1]
HMS Chatham also hosted the BBC for the television programme Shipmates which charted the life of ordinary sailors in the Royal Navy. In the program Chatham was filmed on active service in the Persian Gulf, whilst on an anti-terrorist mission. The show also covered the Chatham's humanitarian relief efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
On October 31, 2006, HMS Chatham visited the town of Chatham, Massachusetts. The Chatham was on its way to Boston, but stopped at the town with the same name for that reason. As of 16th March 2007, was F87 is docked at St Mary's Island, Chatham as part of a recruitment drive to encourage local people to join the Navy.