PNS Babur (D182), former HMS Amazon, 2004
| |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Amazon |
Operator | Royal Navy |
Builder | Vosper Thornycroft |
Laid down | 6 November 1969 |
Launched | 26 April 1971 |
Commissioned | 11 May 1974 |
Decommissioned | 30 September 1993 |
Identification | Pennant number: F169 |
Motto | Audaciter (Latin: "boldly") |
Fate | Sold to Pakistan on 30 September 1993 |
Pakistan | |
Name | PNS Babur |
Operator | Pakistan Navy |
Commissioned | 30 September 1993 |
Decommissioned | 31 December 2014 |
Status | Decommissioned |
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 |
|
Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) |
Range |
|
Complement | 177 |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 1 × Westland Wasp helicopter, later refitted for 1 × Westland Lynx |
HMS Amazon was the first Type 21 frigate of the Royal Navy. Her keel was laid down at the Vosper Thornycroft shipyard in Southampton, England. The ship suffered a fire in the Far East in 1977, drawing attention to the risk of building warships with aluminium superstructure.
The Type 21 frigates were intended as a class of general purpose frigates to replace the diesel-powered frigates of the Leopard and Salisbury classes, and to maintain the Royal Navy's frigate numbers until the specialist anti-submarine ships of the Type 22 class could enter service. The contract for the design of the class was placed with the commercial shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft, with the intent that the design would be cheaper than those produced by the Royal Navy's own design staff, while being attractive for export buyers.[1][2]
Amazon was 384 feet (117.04 m) long overall and 360 feet (109.73 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 41 feet 9 inches (12.73 m) and a maximum draught of 19 feet (5.79 m).[2] Design displacement was 2,750 long tons (2,790 t) normal and 3,250 long tons (3,300 t) full load.[3] She was powered by two Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines rated at a total of 56,000 shaft horsepower (42,000 kW) and two Rolls-Royce Tynes rated at a total of 8,500 shaft horsepower (6,300 kW) in a Combined gas or gas (COGOG) arrangement, giving a speed of 30 knots (35 mph; 56 km/h) when powered by the Olympuses and 17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) when powered by the Tynes.[2]
As built, armament consisted of a single 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun forward, and a four-round launcher for the Sea Cat surface-to-air missile aft, backed up by two 20mm cannon.[1] A hangar and flight deck for a single light helicopter, intended to be the new Westland Lynx (although Amazon was first equipped with a Westland Wasp as the Lynx had not yet entered service).[2][4] A Type 992Q surface/air search and target indication radar was fitted, together with a Type 978 navigation radar. Two Type 912 fire control radars (the Italian Selenia RTX-10X) directed the ship's gun and the Seacat, while a Type 184M medium range search sonar and a Type 162M bottom search sonar (modernised versions of the sonars used on the Leander-class) were fitted.[5][6]
Later ships of the class completed with four Exocet anti-ship missiles forward, and two triple tubes for United States USN/NATO-standard Mark 44 or Mark 46 torpedoes,[4] but Amazon did not receive Exocet until 1984–1985.[7]
Amazon, the first of her class, was ordered on 26 March 1969.[8] She was laid down at Vosper Thornycroft's Woolston, Southampton shipyard on 6 November 1969 and was launched by Princess Anne on 26 April 1971.[9][10] Construction was slow,[11] and Amazon was not completed until 11 May 1974,[9] at a cost of £16.8 million.[12]
From | To | Captain |
---|---|---|
1973 | 1975 | Commander W John Bingham OBE RN |
1975 | 1977 | Commander David Dobson RN |
1977 | 1978 | Commander A B Richardson RN |
1978 | 1979 | Commander R N Woodard RN |
1980 | 1982 | Commander Ian Garnett RN |
1982 | 1984 | Commander J E K Ellis RN |
1986 | 1988 | Commander R J Lippiett RN |
1988 | 1990 | Commander David A Lewis RN |
1990 | 1992 | Commander David J M Mowlam RN |
1992 | 1993 | Commander Patrick H Watson RN |