The current HMS Richmond is the eighth warship to bear the name. The first was a twenty-six gun warship built in 1656 and initially named Wakefield by the Parliamentarian Government. She was renamed Richmond in 1660 at the Restoration and served throughout the Dutch wars. The next Richmond was an eight gun yacht which saw service between 1672 and 1685.

In 1745 the French fifth rate twenty gun frigate Dauphin was captured by the Royal Navy and was subsequently renamed Richmond. She served in the Leeward Island Squadron until 1749. The fourth vessel of the name, a thirty-two gun fifth rate, was built in 1957. She took part in the St Lawrence campaigns, including the capture of Quebec in 1759 and the Channel blockade, which included her destruction of the French frigate Felicite off the Dutch coast. In 1962 she took part in the capture of Havana and later the American War of Independence, finally being captured by the French fleet in 1781.

The next Richmond was a fourteen gun big commissioned in 1806 which saw action off the coast of Spain and Portugal before being sold in 1814.

During the First World War a requisitioned trawler was named Richmond and the seventh to bear the name was the former United States destroyer Fairfax transferred under a lease agreement. Commissioned in 1940 she conducted escort duties in both the Atlantic and Arctic campaigns. She was transferred to the Soviet Navy in 1943 before returning and being scrapped in 1949.

Richmond's battle honours to date are:

1759 Quebec
1762 Havana
1781 Chesapeake
1941-1942 Atlantic
1943 Arctic

The present HMS Richmond is the tenth of the Type 23 Duke Class Anti Submarine Warfare Frigates in service with the Royal Navy and the eighth warship to bear the name. She was the last warship to be built by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders on the Tyne and was launched by Lady Hill-Norton on 6 April 1993. The ship was accepted into the Operational Fleet in October 1996.

In early 1997 she began her first deployment as part of the Ocean Wave 97 Task Group to the Far East. During the seven month deployment the Ship's Company visited thirteen countries and exercised with eleven different Navies. The trip included a visit to Vladivostock in Russia, the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet, and was the first visit by a Royal Naval warship in 111 years. At the end of that year the Richmond escorted HMY Britannia during the first part of her final tour around the United Kingdom.

In 1998 HMS Richmond took part in two major NATO exercises before crossing the Atlantic to New York to take part in the US Navy Fleet Week.

1999 was dominated by the Atlantic Patrol Task deployment to the South Atlantic and concluded with a period of essential maintenance, defect repair and capability improvements.

After major weapon system improvements and engine overhauls, she rejoined the Fleet in May 2000 prior to deploying in 2001 as part of the Standing Naval Force Mediterranean along with frigates and destroyers from other NATO countries.

2002 saw the Ship deploy to the East Coast of the USA and part of the Caribbean to undertake a mixture of operational, diplomatic and trials tasking.

Following a period of Operational Sea Training and the fit of enhancements to her combat system, the Ship deployed again in February 2003, this time to the Arabian Gulf. Arriving shortly before the outbreak of hostilities with Iraq, HMS Richmond was involved in the Naval Gunfire Support of troops ashore during the opening days of the conflict. The Ship remained in the Gulf area after the cessation of hostilities, returning to the UK in August.

Currently under the Command of Commander Mike McCartain, the Ship is operating in UK waters in preparation for her next deployment later this year.