HMS St Albans, the 16th and last of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates to be built, spent the weekend alongside County Wharf.

Commander Catherine Jordan, the ship’s commanding officer is currently taking the frigate known as the “Saint” and its crew through an intensive work up off the south coast following a £25 million refit at Portsmouth.

Catherine who is a fully trained Lynx helicopter observer read law at Manchester University before joining the Royal Navy in 1997. Since then she has served in HM ships Iron Duke, Albion, Severn and had command of HMS Clyde. In 2005 she undertook Principal Warfare Officer training, graduating as top student.

On the St Alban’s forecastle there is a new main gun. The Saint was the very last ship in the Royal Navy to use the Mod 0 4.5in gun. She now carries the angular Mod 1 – better known as the Kryten (after the Red Dwarf character with similarly rigid features). The latest version of the Seawolf missile system, the ship’s shield against air attack, has been fitted.