HMS Ambuscade (F172)

Ambuscade firing her 4.5" gun
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Ambuscade
Operator:	Royal Navy
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yard number:	1008
Laid down:	1 September 1971
Launched:	18 January 1973
Commissioned:	5 September 1975
Decommissioned:	28 July 1993
Identification:	Pennant number: F172
Motto:	Tempori insidior ("I bide my time")
Fate:	Sold to Pakistan on 28 July 1993
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type 21 frigate
Displacement:	3,250 tons full load
Length:	384 ft (117 m)
Beam:	41 ft 9 in (12.73 m)
Draught:	19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Propulsion:	COGOG: 2 × Rolls-Royce Olympus gas turbines 2 × Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A gas turbines for cruising
Speed:	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range:	4,000 nautical miles at 17 knots (7,400 km at 31 km/h) 1,200 nautical miles at 30 knots (2,220 km at 56 km/h)
Complement:	177
Armament:	1 × 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mark 8 naval gun 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 4 × MM38 Exocet missiles 1 × quadruple Sea Cat SAMs 2 × triple ASW torpedo tubes 2 × Corvus chaff launchers 1 × Type 182 towed decoy
Aircraft carried:	1 × Westland Wasp helicopter, later refitted for 1 × Westland Lynx

HMS Ambuscade was a Type 21 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. She was sold to Pakistan in 1993 and is still in service as the PNS Tariq.

Service history

Ambuscade took part in the Falklands War and by the mid-1980s was suffering from cracking in her hull. She was taken in for refitting, with a steel plate being welded down each side of the ship. At the same time modifications were made to reduce hull noise. Exocet launchers were also added in 'B' position later on in 1984/5 and 3" launchers relocated to 02 deck midships.

In 1983 Ambuscade collided with USS Dale in the Indian Ocean, resulting in part of her bows being torn away.^[1] Ambuscade was laid up in Bombay for 6 weeks while a new bow was constructed and fitted.^[2]

On 8 June 1984, Ambuscade went to the assistance of the schooner Stena of Sitoo, which had struck an object in the North Sea and been holed below the waterline.^[3][4]

From	To	Detail	Note
1975	1976	sea trials
1977	1977	Standing Naval Force Atlantic	6 months
1978	1978	5th Frigate Squadron and cruiser HMS Blake. Western Atlantic and Pacific	5 months
1979	1979	UK waters
1979	1979	Belize and West Indies Guardship
1980	1980	Refit at Devonport
1981	1982	Sea training. Armilla Patrol
1982	1982	South Atlantic (Falklands War)
1983	1983	Collision while on Armilla Patrol
1983	1984	West Indies Guardship
1984	1986	Refit at Devonport
1986	1987	Falklands Guardship
1988	1988	West Indies Guardship
1989	1989	UK and Europe
1990	1990	Falklands Guardship
1991	1991	West Indies Guardship
1992	1992	Falklands Guardship
1993	1993	Sold to the Pakistan Navy

Commanding officers

HMS Ambuscade at the HM Dockyard Bermuda (HMS Malabar) in 1988

Period	Captain[5]
1975 - 1976	Commander A. P Harris RN
1976 - 1978	Commander Peter Abbott RN
1977 - 1979	Commander M P Gretton RN
1991 - 1993	Commander Stephen Kirby RN

References

1. "HMS Ambuscade". Clydebuilt. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
2. "Collision USS Dale". HMS Ambuscade Association. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
3. "Air-sea aid for holed schooner". The Times (61853). London. 9 June 1984. col A, B, p. 3.
4. HMS Ambuscade: RN Career and Programme (reference for following wikitable)
5. "HMS Ambuscade". Type21Club. Retrieved 13 June 2015.

Publications

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
• Marriott, Leo, 1983. Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983, Ian Allen Ltd, Surrey. ISBN 978-0-7110-1322-3

External links

• HMS Ambuscade Association