HMS Leander was completed in 1963 as the first ship of the Leander Class Improved Type 12 General Purpose Frigates. In 1974, she joined the 3rd Frigate Squadron, which included other Leander-class frigates. The design was the most successful Western frigate of its time and led to several new international designs.

Jantinus Mulder started his career in the graphic industry and is currently a publisher at Lanasta (Walburg Pers). He is a specialist in the model building of naval ships. He builds models, and has written about model building in various (trade) magazines and books.