HMS Danae (F47) was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). She was, like the rest of the class, named after a figure of mythology. Danae was built by Devonport Dockyard. She was launched on 31 October 1965 and commissioned on 10 October 1967.
In 1968, Danae became Gibraltar Guardship and later joined HMY Britannia her in South America to perform Royal escort duties. Danae subsequently undertook a Beira Patrol, which was designed to prevent oil reaching landlocked Rhodesia via the then Portuguese colony of Mozambique, of which the port of Beira there gave its name to the operation. Danae then deployed to the Far East, (Visiting Australia, New Zealand & Japan) remaining in that region until the middle of 1969. She then undertook another Beira Patrol, (a routine duty for the Royal Navy until it was stopped in 1975) and finally returned to Devonport (Plymouth) in October 1969 – having been on deployment for 12 months.
In 1974, Danae deployed to the Far East via South Africa, the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The following year, Danae performed a variety of duties while in the North Atlantic including oil-rig and fishery protection. She became a member (later Flag Ship) of the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (part of NATO), shadowing the Russian Navy’s Ocean 75 exercise.
During the 1970s, Danae was one of the Leander class frigates used as the fictional HMS Hero for the popular TV drama series Warship. The BBC’s children’s television programme “Blue Peter” did a broadcast of Warship being filmed at Plymouth Dockyard onboard Danae, with Lesley Judd in 1975. Six episodes of Warship were filmed aboard Danae around that time.
In 1977, Danae took part in the Royal Navy Fleet Review to celebrate HM the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Danae was placed between her sister-ship HMS Euryalus and HMS Antelope. Soon after, Danae commenced her modernisation program, which included the removal of her single 4.5-in twin turret which was replaced by the Exocet anti-ship.
