The Last Amazon Endures!
Coming on the heels of the death knell of the efforts to preserve one of the U.S. Navy’s Cold War-era fast frigates-– with the Bronsteins, Garcias, Brookes, and Knoxes long gone and the final Perrys circling the drain– there is great frigate museum ship news coming out of the UK.
We have also covered plans to create a Falkland’s Heritage Centre on the Clyde, based around the last surviving, great-condition, Falkland’s Task Force warship, the Type 21 frigate HMS Ambuscade (F172).
Ambuscade, the last of the Amazon class, is the sister ship of both HMS Ardent and Antelope, which were lost in the Falklands to Argentine air strikes.
The Pakistani Navy donated Ambuscade to the cause last year. It has served there as PNS Tariq (D181) since 1993. The Falklands vet is to leave the Karachi Naval Dockyard in February 2025 and will be moved to a private mooring so preparation work can begin for her journey back to Britain.
As noted by Navy Lookout:
A team from the UK will be heading to Karachi to carry out some of the work required. The frigate will subsequently make the 6,000nm journey on a heavy-lift vessel back to the Clyde.
It has not yet been decided exactly where the ship will be berthed in the long term but Glasgow City Council is supportive and there are several sites under consideration. There are two main options, either at Custom House Quay, Inverclyde or at the Govan Graving Docks when renovated. A temporary berth might also be found at the Riverside Museum area close to the tall ship Glenlee.