Name HMS Avenger Laid down 30 October 1974 Decommissioned 23 September 1994 Construction started 30 October 1974 Length 117 m | Commissioned 15 April 1978 Launched 20 November 1975 Draft 5.94 m | |
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HMS Avenger was a Type 21 frigate of the Royal Navy. Built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, she was completed with Exocet launchers in 'B' position.
Contents
Royal Navy service
With the appointment of Captain Hugo White in 1981, Avenger became leader of the 4th Frigate Squadron. Avenger was a late arrival at the Falklands War, as she didn't leave the UK until 10 May 1982, arriving on 25 May - a record for any ship involved in the operations, and a massive distance in 14 days. Collectively all Type 21s had a massive short distance high-speed ability thanks to the Rolls Royce Olympus turbines, but at the time the RN preferred this information not to be publicised. Avenger had averaged 28 knots and the Type 21s became nicknamed the Boy Racers. Captain White led Avenger in the Falklands War surviving an attack by an Exocet missile which it shot out of the sky with the 4.5 inch mark 8 gun on the focsle of the ship. Her divers salvaged a 20mm Oerlikon from the wreck of HMS Antelope which was remounted to increase her anti-aircraft capability, referred to on board as "Antelopes Avenger". She also assisted with naval gunfire support during the campaign.
On June 11, she was conducting naval bombardments of Port Stanley in preparation for an amphibious assault by British troops. She directly struck a house where civilians were sheltering, killing three Falkland Islander women and wounding several others. They were the only British civilian casualties of the Falklands War.
During the Falklands deployment, an alarming crack in the ship's hull progressively worsened with the stormy South Atlantic weather. On return to UK, she was taken in for refitting, with a steel plate being welded down each side of the ship to eliminate the problem. At the same time modifications were made to reduce hull noise.
After the war she remained leader of the 4th Frigate Squadron until 1986.
Pakistan Navy service
Avenger was decommissioned and sold to Pakistan on 23 September 1994, where she was refitted and renamed Tippu Sultan. She is the third ship to carry this name and remains in service with the Pakistan Navy as part of the 25th Destroyer Squadron.
Commanding officers
•1978-1979 Cdr Geoff A Eades •1979-1981 Cdr Peter J A Ford •1981-1982 Capt Hugo M White F4 •1982-1983 Capt A Peter Woodhead F4 •1983 Lt Cdr/Cdr Andrew Gordon-Lennox (Temporary Command – See Armilla Patrol) •1983-1984 Capt A Bruce Richardson F4 •1985-1986 Capt Chris J S Craig F4 •1988-1989 Cdr Christopher V Ellison •1990-1991 Cdr Andrew J G Miller •1991-1992 Cdr Nigel R Owen •1993-1994 Cdr David H Durston