NEWCASTLE marks the end of an era this evening as the last Royal Navy frigate built at the Swan Hunter yard leaves her berth, in the shadow of the Tyne Bridge.

A lower span on a millennium crossing will prevent warships from sailing six miles inland to the quayside, where they have moored in the past.

Although alternative berths further upstream are being considered, Royal Navy vessels will no longer be able to tie up just a stone's throw from the city centre.

HMS Richmond docked on Thursday and the crew have been kept busy since, re-establishing links both with the North Yorkshire market town of the same name as well as the city where the ship was built.

Teams have played golf, football, rugby and hockey in Richmond, while the community also hosted a civic reception for sailors at the Town Hall at the weekend.

Meanwhile, on top of tours that were arranged for cadets from across the region, a thousand people an hour visited the ship during an open day on Sunday.

"It has been an extremely successful visit," said Sub Lieutenant Nick Wood yesterday. "We have enhanced our ties with the area, but it's also fitting, as the last warship built in Newcastle, we should be the last to say goodbye to the present harbour."

After sailing this evening, HMS Richmond joins a naval exercise off the Scottish coast before heading for duty in the Mediterranean in late December.