Operational History
She was deployed to the Falkland Islands in the winter 1998/1999. In 2000, she was part of the task force NTG2000, the first time Royal Navy ships have circumnavigated the globe since 1986. In December 2007, major upgrades worth ₤35 million were announced making Sutherland the "most powerful frigate in the fleet". The upgrades included Sonar 2087, an upgrade to Seawolf, an improvement to the 4.5 inch gun to allow it to fire long-range ammunition, and a reshaped stern to cut fuel use.
She was due to be given the freedom of the county of Sutherland but had her visit cut short, with "operational commitments" as the given reason. This was eventually revealed as her deployment as part of the UK Response Force Task Group's (RFTG) first deployment, named COUGAR' 11.
In May 2011, she made a port visit to Patras, Greece following participation in exercises off Crete, after which she became involved in the operations off the Libyan coast.
On 16 June 2011, Sutherland visited Souda Bay in Crete to commemorate the 70th anniversay of the Battle of Crete, before sailing to Kalamata in Greece to conduct further World War II memorials.
On 24 July 2011 HMS Sutherland returned to the coast of Libya as part of Operation Ellamy.
On 18 October 2011 HMS Sutherland passed through Tower Bridge in London and docked next to HMS Belfast, returning back through the bridge on 22 October 2011.
Read more about this topic: HMS Sutherland (F81)
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