Race to save last-surviving Falklands War taskforce ship HMS Ambuscade which could be blown up in Pakistan
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The Type 21 frigate will be destroyed if a resolution can’t be found
The last-surviving Falklands War taskforce ship could be destroyed as campaigners push for her to be saved.
It’s a race against time to stop HMS Ambuscade from being blown up. She was sold to the Pakistan Navy in 1993 and renamed PNS Tariq after serving in the 1982 conflict against Argentina and on other operations.
A deadline of September 30 was given by the Pakistan Navy for the ship to be moved, or the vessel will be disposed of. Specialist defence publication Navy Lookout said the ship could be expended as a target within weeks.
David O’Neil, CEO of Clyde Naval Heritage, wrote an open letter to Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of Naval Staff for the Pakistan Navy, urging them for an extension.
Uncertainties created by the Strait of Hormuz being blockaded - and the increased associated costs - have been deemed as major stumbling blocks. “Clyde Naval Heritage remains profoundly grateful to the Pakistan Navy for the exceptionally generous donation of this historic vessel in 2023,” he said.
“It is our shared vision to return this magnificent ship to her birthplace on the River Clyde in Glasgow, transforming her into a world-class, dual-cultural naval museum. This landmark site will proudly showcase her distinguished service history across two great navies, standing as an enduring symbol of friendship, maritime heritage, and cooperation between the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
“We understand and deeply respect the Pakistan Navy’s operational constraints, including the current deadline of September 30, requiring the removal of the vessel from the Karachi Naval Base and Pakistani waters, failing which control will revert to the Pakistan Navy for disposal.
“However, we face an unprecedented force majeure. Ongoing and escalating conflicts within the wider region have fundamentally compromised international transit routes. This volatile security environment presents an unacceptable and severe risk to the international contractors, engineering teams, and volunteers tasked with carrying out her complex extradition and towage journey back to the UK. As a charity, the safety of human lives must remain our absolute priority.”
Mr O’Neil appeal to the Pakistan Navy for a “vital extension” to the deadline. He said he hopes for PNS Tariq to remain in safe anchorage, or placed at a layup facility in Karachi until she can be safely brought to Scotland. “We remain fully committed to completing this historic repatriation the moment it is safe to do so,” he added.
Navy Lookout said the bill for the 6,000 nautical mile transit to Scotland has ballooned to around £2m. This is due to rising insurance and transiting costs. The former HMS Ambuscade was launched on January 18.1973, and commissioned into the Royal Navy fleet on September 5, 1975.
She served as the Electronic Warfare picket ship to the Falklands War Task Force, taking part in several bombardments on Argentine positions. The frigate was targeted by two Exocet missiles, and fired chaff decoys in a effort to confuse the missiles’ seekers. These switched to SS Atlantic Conveyor and struck the ship, setting her on fire.
Plans to save the decommissioned ship and preserve her as a museum vessel were unveiled in December 2021, with the Royal Navy backing the plan in February 2023.