Ipswich Borough Council has approved the establishment of a new affiliation between the Borough and the Royal Navy’s warship HMS Trumpeter.
Councillors took the decision at a meeting of the full Council yesterday evening (Wednesday 30 April) which was followed by a Reception in the Council Chamber attended by the Commanding Officer and crew of the vessel.
The Borough has a long-standing connection with the Armed Services and the offer to affiliate with HMS Trumpeter has provided an opportunity to re-establish connection with the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy has a policy of affiliating each of its warships with towns, cities and boroughs throughout the United Kingdom. A previous affiliation between the Borough and HMS Quorn ended when that ship was decommissioned in 2017.
HMS Trumpeter is one of 16 Archer-class patrol vessels assigned to the Coastal Forces Squadron, providing maritime security and operations within Europe’s coastal waters. The ship, operated by a small team of five sailors and led by an experienced Lieutenant, regularly contributes to UK and NATO exercises and operations in UK territorial waters, North Sea, Western Europe and Baltic Sea.
It has previously been based in Ipswich, last leaving in May 2024 when the Mayor, Councillor Elango Elavalakan, presented the Commanding Officer with a certificate noting the friendship between the town and ship.
The Mayor took part in a civic visit to HMS Trumpeter this afternoon, together with Councillors Neil MacDonald, Ian Fisher and Oliver Holmes, who are respectively the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders at the Borough.
Councillor Neil MacDonald, Leader of Ipswich Borough Council, says:
“Affiliations between naval vessels and towns is a long-established part of naval tradition, and Ipswich’s tradition as a port town. The last ship the Council was affiliated with was HMS Quorn, before that, it was HMS Grafton and the bell from Grafton still hangs in the Council’s headquarters.
“Affiliations create a direct link between the town and a specific ship, in this case HMS Trumpeter, which was based in the port here for much of the last decade. This affiliation means that HMS Trumpeter will make regular visits to Ipswich and the crew will participate in civic events when practical, drawing in people to our fantastic town, and encouraging local people to learn about its rich history as a port.
"It is always a great honour for a town to be offered the affiliation of a ship but it is particularly appropriate that through this affiliation Ipswich will maintain its link with HMS Trumpeter.”
A Memorandum of Understanding will now be drawn up to set out the aspirations of the Council and HMS Trumpeter for the affiliation.
Picture shows (front row, L to R) Councillor Neil MacDonald, Leader of Ipswich Borough Council, Mayor of Ipswich Councillor Elango Elavalakan, and Suffolk County Councillor Liz Harsant, with the Commanding Officer and crew of HMS Trumpeter.