HMS Grafton (F80) was a Type 23

Type 23 frigate

The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...

 frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. It was the ninth vessel to bear the name, and is named after the Duke of Grafton

Duke of Grafton

Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for his 2nd illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland, Henry FitzRoy...

.

In 2003, the ship was used in the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 drama series Making Waves as the fictional Royal Navy warship Suffolk

HMS Suffolk

Six ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Suffolk, after the county of Suffolk: was a 70-gun third rate launched in 1680, rebuilt in 1699, 1718 and 1739, and broken up in 1765. was a 30-gun storeship purchased in 1694 and sold in 1713. was a 74-gun third rate launched in 1765 and sold in...

. In early 2004 the ship was deployed in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

. In July 2004, it was announced that Grafton would be one of three Type 23 frigates to be decommissioned by the end of 2006.

In June 2005, it was announced that Grafton would be sold to the Chilean Navy

Chilean Navy

-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...

 . She was delivered to Chilean Navy on 28 March 2007 in Portsmouth and renamed Almirante Lynch (FF-07).

During her service in the Royal Navy, her crew were awarded the freedom of the Borough of Ipswich

Ipswich

Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...

, due to their frequent visits to the Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

Town of Ipswich.