Welcome to the Making Waves guide at TV Tome. Making Waves is ITV1's major new drama set in the vivid, exciting world of the modern Royal Navy. The six-part series has been produced with the full help and co-operation of the Royal Navy, and was based at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth from the start of filming last year. Centrepiece of the drama is the fictitious HMS Suffolk, 'played' by the Type 23 frigate HMS Grafton, currently on deployment in the Gulf. The Grafton, commissioned in 1997, was made available by the Royal Navy for filming at sea and at its base in Portsmouth, where it is part of the Portsmouth Flotilla.  Cast and crew went to sea for filming, when the Grafton employed a reduced-size crew, to allow for the accommodation of actors and key production personnel. Members of the ship's company have not only been on hand to advise production crew and cast on naval procedure, but will be seen in the background of many scenes when the Suffolk is at sea or alongside in Por