HMS Eskimo (F119)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Eskimo.
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Eskimo
Operator: Royal Navy
Builder: J. Samuel White
Laid down: 22 October 1958
Launched: 20 March 1960
Commissioned: 21 February 1963
Decommissioned: August 1980
Identification: F 119
Motto:
  • Sikumi Ungaskitumi
  • ("Fire and Ice")
Fate: Scrapped in 1992
General characteristics
Class and type: Tribal-class frigate
Displacement:
  • 2,300 long tons (2,300 t) standard
  • 2,700 long tons (2,700 t) full load
Length:
  • 360 ft 0 in (109.73 m) oa
  • 350 ft 0 in (106.68 m) pp
Beam: 42 ft 3 in (12.88 m)
Draught:
  • 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
  • 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) (propellers)[1]
Propulsion:
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) (COSAG)
Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 253
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar type 965 air-search
  • Radar type 993 low-angle search
  • Radar type 978 navigation
  • Radar type 903 gunnery fire-control
  • Radar type 262 GWS-21 fire-control
  • Sonar type 177 search
  • Sonar type 170 attack
  • Sonar type 162 bottom profiling
  • Ashanti and Gurkha;
  • Sonar type 199 variable-depth
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 × Westland Wasp helicopter

HMS Eskimo was a Tribal-class frigate of the Royal Navy in service from 1963 to 1980. She was scrapped in 1992.

Eskimo was built by J. Samuel White, of Cowes,[2] at a cost of £4,670,000.[3] The frigate was launched on 20 March 1960 and commissioned on 21 February 1963 with the pennant number F119.[2]

Service

Eskimo began her third commission in October 1966. In 1967, Eskimo transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, with which the ship took part in a number of port visits and exercises. In June, Eskimo replaced her sistership Ashanti off Aden in response to the start of the Six-Day War.[4] In 1968 she took part in Portsmouth 'Navy Days'.[5]

In 1976, Eskimo served as the West Indies Guardship. She escorted Queen Elizabeth II aboard Britannia as part of America's Bi-Centennial celebrations. Eskimo returned to the Caribbean in 1977.

Due to a manpower shortage in the Royal Navy,[6] Eskimo was reduced to the reserve in 1980, being placed into the Standby Squadron, and in 1981 was put on the disposal list.[7] In 1984 she was cannibalised for spare parts for three Tribal-class frigates sold to Indonesia. On 16 January 1986, Eskimo was towed from Portsmouth to Pembroke Dock to be used as a target, but was not used as such. In May 1992 she was towed from Pembroke to Bilbao, Spain to be scrapped.[8]

Commanding officers

FromToCaptain
19641966Commander E R Anson RN
19661968Commander S A C Cassels RN
19681968Commander J F Kidd RN
19741975Commander A Grose RN
19751976Commander R K Dibble RN
19761978Commander C Morgan RN

References

  1. ↑ Blackman 1971, p. 356.
  2. 1 2 Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (1995). p. 518
  3. ↑ "News in Brief". The Times (55970): Col B, p. 6. 26 March 1964
  4. ↑ British warships redeployed in Mediterranean. The Times (56960): Col A, p. 10. 6 June 1967.
  5. ↑ Programme, Navy Days at Portsmouth August 31st-September 2nd 1968, p.19.
  6. ↑ Hansard (28 June 1979), hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  7. ↑ Hansard (26 April 1982), hansard.millbanksystems.com. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  8. ↑ http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8257 shipstamps.co.uk: HMS Eskimo

Publications


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