A decommissioned Royal Navy frigate is to be formally handed over to the Chilean Navy in Devonport today.

The former HMS Sheffield was put up for sale by the Ministry of Defence a year ago, and after discussions between the British and Chilean governments, agreement was reached between the MOD Disposal Services Agency and the Chilean Navy by the spring of this year, the papers being signed in March.

Sheffield, a Batch 2 Type 22 frigate, was launched at the Swan Hunter shipyard in March 1986, and joins her Batch 1 sisters and many other former British warships operating in South American waters.

Chile has three former County-class destroyers – Capitan Prat (ex-HMS Norfolk), Almirante Cochrane (ex-HMS Antrim) and Almirante Blanco Encalada (ex-HMS Fife) – and the Leander-class frigate Ministro Zenteno, formerly HMS Achilles.

Argentina has two former Ton-class ships, the Chaco and Formosa (formerly HMS Rennington and HMS Ilmington respectively), while all four Batch 1 Type 22 frigates are operated by the Brazilian Navy – Greenhalgh (ex-HMS Broadsword), Dodsworth (ex-HMS Brilliant), Bosisio (ex-HMS Brazen) and Rademaker (ex-HMS Battleaxe).

On handover Sheffield will be renamed Almirante Williams and retain the pennant number 96. She is named after Vice Admiral Juan Williams, a former Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy.

Since march she has been undergoing a ‘regeneration’ package of work with original equipment manufacturers and Devonport Management Ltd, while training for her new owners has been organised through International Defence Training (Navy), part of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA).

And before undertaking the homeward voyage at the end of the year, the newly-formed Chilean navy ship’s company of 226 will undergo operational training, conducted by teams from the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) organisation at Devonport Naval Base.

Commodore Sim Taylor, Chief Executive of the Disposal Services Agency, welcomed the handover, saying: “I am delighted that agreement was reached to hand over this ship to Chile, and I wish her well in her future role in the Chilean Navy.

“The UK and Chile have a long-established relationship, especially between the two navies, and the handover is a reflection of this friendship.”