On Tuesday 17th October, 2023 early morning the Brazilian Navy Frigate F 49 RADEMAKER reported that she had fire aboard south of Rio de Janeiro (RDJ). She left RDJ on Monday 16th October, sailed west but returned back to base.
She’s the former Royal Navy Type 22 Class frigate HMS BATTLEAXE F 89 that was commissioned 28th March 1980. She was sold to Brazil on 30th April,1997 after she was decommissioned on 30th August, 1996.
HMS BATTLEAXE F 89 was deployed on the Armilla patrol, the Royal Navy’s standing deployment in the Persian Gulf in August 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait and she returned to Plymouth in November 1990.
She was also seen at Malta when she escorted the Royal Yacht HMY BRITANNIA A OO with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II state visit back to May 1992
In Brazilian Navy Service F 49 RADEMAKER was involved in an unfortunate incident on 29 th November 2004, during the annual FRATERNO naval exercise with ships of the Argentinian Navy. While conducting gunnery practice against target drones, a malfunction of the Argentinian MEKO frigate D 13 ARA SARANDI automatic weapons system caused her to fire on F 49 with four Brazilian crewmen were injured together with an Argentine naval observer. The ship suffered moderate damage.
