View source for Romanian frigate Regele Ferdinand

{{Short description|Frigate originally built for Royal navy, Now in service with Romanian Naval forces}}
{{other ships|HMS Coventry}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Regele Ferdinand Frigate 24.jpg
|Ship caption=''Regele Ferdinand'', the flagship of the Romanian Navy
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''Coventry''
|Ship namesake={{HMS|Coventry|D118}}
|Ship operator=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Swan Hunter]]
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=29 March 1984
|Ship launched=8 April 1986
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 14 October 1988
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=17 January 2002
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
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|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
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|Ship captured=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: F98
|Ship fate= Sold to Romania on 14 January 2003
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:HMS_Coventry_Ship%27s_Badge.svg|120px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=[[Romania]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Romania}}
|Ship name=''Regele Ferdinand''
|Ship namesake= King [[Ferdinand of Romania]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship acquired=14 January 2003
|Ship commissioned=9 September 2004
|Ship decommissioned=
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|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship identification=*[[Pennant number]]: F221
*{{MMSI Number|264800090}}
*{{Ship register|MT|5799671}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]:YQYM
|Ship fate= 
|Ship status=In active service
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:Fregata Regele Ferdinand.png|120px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as HMS ''Coventry'')
|Ship class=[[Type 22 frigate|Type 22]] [[frigate]]
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=4,800 tons
|Ship length={{convert|146.5|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|14.8|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|6.4|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2-shaft [[Combined gas or gas|COGOG]]
*2 × [[Rolls-Royce Olympus]] TM3B high-speed gas turbines (54,000 shp / 40 MW)
*2 × [[Rolls-Royce Tyne]] RM1C cruise gas turbines (9,700 shp / 7.2 MW)
|Ship speed=*{{convert|18|kn}} (cruise)
*{{convert|30|kn}} (max)
|Ship range={{convert|8000|nmi}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship complement=273
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship troops=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*2 × 6 [[Sea Wolf missile|GWS25 Sea Wolf SAM]] launchers
*4 × 1 [[Exocet]] SSM launchers
*2 × Twin 30 mm [[Anti-aircraft warfare|AA]] guns
*2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 guns
*4 × 7.62 mm [[General purpose machine gun|GPMG]]s
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=2 × [[Westland Lynx|Lynx MK 8]] helicopters
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as ''Regele Ferdinand'')
|Ship class=[[Type 22 frigate|Type 22]] [[frigate]]
|Ship displacement=5,300 tons
|Ship length={{convert|148.1|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|14.8|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|6.4|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion= *2 × [[Rolls-Royce Olympus]] TM3B high-speed gas turbines (54,000 shp / 40 MW)
*2 × [[Pratt & Whitney]] ST40M turbine engines
|Ship speed=*{{convert|18|kn}} (cruise)
*{{convert|30|kn}} (max)
|Ship range={{convert|4500|nmi}}
|Ship complement=250
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=[[Otobreda 76 mm|76/62 Oto Melara Super-Rapid gun]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=[[IAR 330|IAR-330 Puma Naval]]
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Regele Ferdinand'' (F221)''' is a [[Type 22 frigate]] of the [[Romanian Naval Forces]], formerly a Royal Navy ship named '''HMS ''Coventry'' (F98)'''. She was originally intended to be named ''Boadicea'' but was named ''Coventry'' in honour of the previous [[HMS Coventry (D118)|''Coventry'']], a [[Type 42 destroyer]] sunk in the [[Falklands War]].  Following service in the Royal Navy she was sold to the Romanian Navy in 2003.

==Operational Service==
===Royal Navy===
Between 1990 and 1996 ''Coventry'' was the leader of the [[1st Frigate Squadron (United Kingdom)|1st Frigate Squadron]]. The ship received the freedom of the city of Coventry in 1988.<ref name="WhatDoTheyKnow">{{Whatdotheyknow.com|https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/893924/response/2137624/attach/3/FOI449271797%20Honorary%20Freedom%20of%20the%20City.pdf|List of Honorary Freeman of the City of Coventry|893924|Coventry City Council|8 October 2022}}</ref>

===Romanian Navy===
[[File:Regele Ferdinand Frigate 22.jpg|thumb|left|''Regele Ferdinand'' in 2005]]
{{other ships|Romanian ship Regele Ferdinand}}

She was purchased from the [[United Kingdom]] by the [[Romanian Navy]] on 14 January 2003, and renamed '''''Regele Ferdinand''''' (King Ferdinand) after [[Ferdinand I of Romania]]. The ship was handed over to [[Romania]] on 19 August 2004, and underwent [[sea trial]]s at the same time.  ''Regele Ferdinand'' was commissioned into the Romanian Navy on 9 September 2004 with the pennant number F221, and is the current [[flagship]] of the [[Romanian Naval Forces|Romanian Navy]]. There has since been some controversy over the price at which she was bought.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/13/armstrade.bae | title=We paid three times too much for UK frigates, Romania says | work=The Guardian | date=13 June 2006 | accessdate=7 January 2015 |last2=Leigh |first2=David |last=Evans |first=Rob}}</ref>

On 22 March 2011, President of Romania [[Traian Băsescu]] said, after a [[Supreme Council of National Defense (Romania)|CSAT]] meeting, that Romania will send the frigate ''Regele Ferdinand'' with 205 mariners and two officers on board to enforce an arms embargo in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], as part of the [[2011 military intervention in Libya]] - [[Operation Unified Protector]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-politic-8423876-traian-basescu-sustine-declaratie-presa-ora-21-00-dupa-sedinta-csat.htm |title=Traian Basescu: Romania va trimite fregata Regele Ferdinand cu 205 militari in Mediterana pentru operatiuni de blocare a oricarei nave suspecte ca transporta armament|publisher=HotNews.ro |language=Romanian |date=22 March 2011 |accessdate=7 January 2015}}</ref> During their run in the [[NATO]] naval group acting on Operation Unified Protector - 2011, the frigate has traveled over {{convert|17400|nmi|km}} and carried out around 770 specific tasks.<ref name="agerpres.ro">[http://www.agerpres.ro/media/index.php/politic/item/75046.html]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111220180439/http://www.agerpres.ro/media/index.php/politic/item/75046.html |date=20 December 2011 }}</ref>

Since entry into service of the Romanian Navy, ''Regele Ferdinand'' has performed a series of tasks among which the most important are deployments to [[Operation Active Endeavour]] in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010 in the Mediterranean Sea, the exercise in Bulgaria "Breeze -CertExam"  2007, 2008, the exercise "Noble Midas" in Croatia in 2007 and 2008 in Italy.<ref name="agerpres.ro"/>

Since 13 September 2012 ''Regele Ferdinand'' has participated in [[Operation Atalanta]]. The ship embarked naval commandos of [[Grupul Naval de Forțe pentru Operații Speciale]] (GNFOS).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.romanialibera.ro/exclusiv-rl/reportaj/regele-ferdinand-a-plecat-la-razboi-in-golful-aden-276989-main_pic2.html |title="Regele Ferdinand" a plecat la război în Golful Aden |language=Romanian |work=Romania Libera |date=12 September 2012 |last=Martinescu |first=Darius |accessdate=7 January 2015 |archive-date=16 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916232225/http://www.romanialibera.ro/exclusiv-rl/reportaj/regele-ferdinand-a-plecat-la-razboi-in-golful-aden-276989-main_pic2.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In August 2014, ''Regele Ferdinand'' sailed alongside [[Standing NATO Maritime Group 2]] Task Unit 2 which operated in the Black Sea as part of Exercise Sea Breeze.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/hmcs-fredericton-arrives-in-portugal-hmcs-toronto-to-be-back-in-canada-in-late-january |title=HMCS Fredericton arrives in Portugal, HMCS Toronto to be back in Canada in late January |last=Pugliese |first=David |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=6 January 2015 |accessdate=7 January 2015}}</ref>

In July 2019, the Romanian authorities announced the selection of Naval Group and its partner Santierul Naval Constanta (SNC) for the programme to build four new Gowind multi-mission corvettes and to modernise the T22 frigates.

Romanian authorities are currently working in collaboration with the Romanian {{ill|COMOTI institute|ro|Institutul Național de Cercetare-Dezvoltare Turbomotoare}} to replace two of the Rolls-Royce gas turbine engines with two ST40M turbine engines designed at COMOTI.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349917550_Automation_Control_for_Revamping_the_Propulsion_System_of_a_Navy_Frigate|title=Automation control for revamping the propulsion system of a navy frigate|journal=Scientific Bulletin - "Politehnica" University of Bucharest|series=D|volume=83|issue=1|date=2021|issn=1454-2358|author1=Filip Niculescu|author2=Claudia Borzea|author3=Iulian Vlăducă|author4=Andrei Mitru|author5=Mirela Vasile|author6=Alexandra Țăranu|author7=Gabriel Dediu}}</ref>

While the ship type was designed to employ both Sea Wolf and Exocet missiles, as of 2025 Romania does not possess these two types of missiles.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=180>
File:HMS Coventry F98.jpg|HMS ''Coventry'' (F98), conducts an underway replenishment while on station in the Persian Gulf.
File:161029-N-ZE250-034 (30765229502).jpg|The Romanian Navy frigate ''Regele Ferdinand'' (F221) approaches [[USS Carney|USS ''Carney'']] (DDG-64) to conduct replenishment-at-sea training in the Black Sea 28 Oct. 2016.
File:Regele Ferdinand 26.jpg|Navy helicopter landing on ''Regele Ferdinand''.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Regele Ferdinand-class destroyer|''Regele Ferdinand'' class]], a World War II-era namesake
*[[NMS Regele Ferdinand]] (''Regele Ferdinand'' class destroyer)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|HMS Coventry (F98)}}
{{Commons category|Regele Ferdinand (F-221)}}

{{Type 22 frigate}}
{{Romanian Naval Forces}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regele Ferdinand}}
[[Category:Ships built by Swan Hunter]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Tyne]]
[[Category:1986 ships]]
[[Category:Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Type 22 frigates of the Romanian Naval Forces]]