HMS Avenger (F185)

PNS Tippu Sultan, former HMS Avenger
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Avenger
Operator:	Royal Navy
Builder:	Yarrow Shipbuilders
Laid down:	30 October 1974
Launched:	20 November 1975
Commissioned:	15 April 1978
Decommissioned:	23 September 1994
Homeport:	HMNB Devonport
Identification:	Pennant number: F185
Honours and awards:	Falkland Islands 1982
Fate:	Sold to Pakistan on 23 September 1994
Pakistan
Name:	PNS Tippu Sultan
Operator:	Pakistan Navy
Acquired:	23 September 1994
Identification:	Pennant number: D185
Status:	in active service
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:	COGOG: 2 × Rolls-Royce Olympus gas turbines 2 × Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A gas turbines for cruising
Speed:	32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) official, 37 knots achievable on bursts
Range:	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) (7,400 km at 31 km/h) 1,200 nmi at 30 knots (2,220 km at 56 km/h)
Complement:	177
Armament:	Royal Navy: 1 × 4.5 inch Mark 8 (113 mm) 4 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 4 × MM38 Exocet missiles 1 × quadruple Sea Cat surface-air-missiles 2 × triple ASW torpedo tubes 2 × Corvus chaff launchers 1 × Type 182 towed decoy Pakistan Navy: 1 × 4.5 inch Mark 8 (113 mm) gun 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 1 × 6-cell LY-60N surface-to-air missile 1 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × Mark 36 SRBOC chaff launchers
Aircraft carried:	1 × Westland Wasp helicopter, later refitted for 1 × Alouette III and 1 × Westland Lynx

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.

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.