View source for Romanian frigate Regina Maria (F222)

{{Short description|Frigate originally built for Royal navy, Now in service with Romanian Naval forces}}
{{Other ships|HMS London|Romanian ship Regina Maria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2008}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Romanian frigate Regina Maria (F222) underway in August 2014.JPG
|Ship caption=''Regina Maria'' underway in Constanța, August 2014
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''London''
|Ship namesake=[[London]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Yarrow Shipbuilders]]
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=7 February 1983
|Ship launched= 27 October 1984
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|Ship completed=
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|Ship commissioned=5 June 1987
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=14 January 1999
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|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: F95
|Ship fate=Sold to Romania on 14 January 2003
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Romania
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Romania}}
|Ship name=''Regina Maria''
|Ship namesake=[[Marie of Edinburgh]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=
|Ship acquired=14 January 2003
|Ship commissioned=21 April 2005
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|Ship identification=*[[Pennant number]]: F222
*{{MMSI Number|264800091}}
*{{Ship register|MT|6269266}}
*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]:YQYN
|Ship fate=
|Ship status=In active service
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge= [[File:Fregata Regina Maria.png|120px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Type 22 frigate]]
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=5,300 tonnes
|Ship length={{convert|148.1|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|14.8|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|6.4|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion=*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)
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|Ship complement=250
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|Ship armament=* 2 × 6 [[Sea Wolf missile|GWS25 Sea Wolf]] [[surface-to-air missile]] launchers
* 4 × 1 [[Exocet|MM.38 Exocet]] [[surface-to-surface missile]] launchers
* 2 × Twin 30 mm [[BMARC]] anti-aircraft guns
* 2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 guns
* 4 × 7.62 mm [[general purpose machine gun]]s
* '''As ''Regina Maria''''':
** [[OTO Melara 76 mm|76/62 Oto Melara Super-Rapid gun]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship aircraft=*[[Westland Lynx|Lynx Mk.8]]
* '''As ''Regina Maria''''':
** [[IAR 330|IAR-330 Puma Naval]]
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'''''Regina Maria'' (F222)''' is a [[Type 22 frigate]] of the [[Romanian Naval Forces]], formerly a Royal Navy ship named '''HMS ''London'' (F95)'''. It is named after Queen [[Marie of Romania]], wife of King [[Ferdinand I of Romania]].

==Service==
HMS ''London'' was a [[Type 22 frigate]] of the [[Royal Navy]], originally named ''Bloodhound'' but renamed ''London'' at the request of the [[Lord Mayor of London]].

She was flagship of the Royal Navy task force during the 1991 [[Gulf War]].

She was decommissioned on 14 January 1999 and sold to the [[Romanian Navy]] on 14 January 2003, being commissioned as ''Regina Maria'' on 21 April 2005. Before the sale the [[Sea Wolf (missile)|Sea Wolf]] and [[Exocet]] missile systems were removed, and the only armament the ship had when delivered was two 30&nbsp;mm BMARC cannons and two three-tube anti-submarine torpedo launchers. The Romanian Navy had a 76&nbsp;mm [[OTO-Melara]] gun system fitted forward where the Exocets had been mounted, but no missile systems or additional weapons have been fitted.  There has since been some controversy over the price for which Romania purchased the ship.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/armstrade/story/0,,1796377,00.html |title=We paid three times too much for UK frigates, Romania says |work=[[The Guardian]]|date=13 June 2006|accessdate=14 June 2006 | location=London | first=David | last=Leigh}}</ref>

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|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>

==Commanding officers==
Notable commanding officers include [[Iain Henderson (Royal Navy officer)|Iain Henderson]] (1990-1991), [[Mark Stanhope]] (1991-1992) and [[Timothy McClement]] (1992-1994).

==Gallery==
<gallery widths=180>
File:HMS London F95 aft.jpg|HMS ''London''
File:HMS London F95 starboard bow.jpg|HMS ''London'' (F95) docked in port during [[Operation Desert Shield]].
File:ReginaMaria2005.jpg|Romanian frigate ''Regina Maria'' at the [[Trafalgar Day|Trafalgar 200th Anniversary]].
File:Українсько-американське навчання “Сі Бриз - 2016” (28075164024).jpg|''Regina Maria'' during exercise Sea Breeze 2016.
</gallery>

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Publications==
*{{Cite Colledge2006}}

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:London (F95)}}
[[Category:1984 ships]]
[[Category:Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Gulf War ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Type 22 frigates of the Romanian Naval Forces]]