Oxford,
21
January
2025
|
07:34
Europe/London

Link approved between Oxfordshire and HMS Diamond

A proposal to affiliate the county of Oxfordshire with the Royal Navy ship HMS Diamond has been approved by the county council’s cabinet at its meeting on 21 January.

Talks took place in 2024 between Oxfordshire County Council, the Lord Lieutenant and the Royal Navy about the possibility of an affiliation. Such connections have been common throughout the history of the navy and many current ships already have links with places in the UK.

HMS Diamond is a Type 45 destroyer with a crew of 240 sailors including a Royal Marines boarding team. The ship's motto, "Honor Clarissima Gemma," translates to "Honour is the Brightest Jewel.

Beyond her primary role in air defence, HMS Diamond is versatile and capable of performing a wide range of duties, from counter-narcotics operations to providing humanitarian aid. Her most recent operations involved protecting merchant shipping lanes from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

Councillor Liz Leffman, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “This strengthens the bond and support between the Royal Navy and the local community and reaffirms the council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our significant armed forces communities. The county already plays host to Naval cadet units.”

All major Royal Navy ships have affiliations as part of a long-standing tradition that binds their crews to the land via a network of relationships across the United Kingdom.

The range of organisations and establishments that are invited to become part of a ship’s extended family can encompass cities, hospital trusts, cadet units, army regiments and air force squadrons, as well as venerable city institutions and counties. The benefits of affiliation are mutual. An affiliation gives the ship and the ship’s company a link to the organisation. 

HMS Diamond has an existing affiliation with Coventry. Other current examples include Essex which recently affiliated with HMS Venturer, and the town of Wantage, which has an affiliation with HMS Queen Elizabeth.