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Tariq (DDG 181) (front of USS Pearl Harbor, the last ship in the background) on the fourth row of the formation led by USS Ingraham, participating in the naval drill in the Mediterranean Sea in 2005.
History
Pakistan
Name	PNS Tariq
Namesake	Tariq ibn Ziyad
Builder	Yarrow Shipbuilders in Scotland
Yard number	1008
Laid down	1 September 1971
Sponsored by	Benazir Bhutto
Acquired	28 July 1993
Recommissioned	1 January 1993
Decommissioned	5 August 2023
In service	1993–2023
Refit	1993
Homeport	Naval Base Karachi
Identification	Pennant number: D-181
Fate	Retired
Status	Decommissioning; currently undergoing renovation works for display as a museum ship
General characteristics
Class and type	Tariq-class frigate
Displacement	3,700 long tons (3,759 t) 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)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement	192, 14 officers, 178 enlisted
Armament	1 × Vickers 4.5 in (114 mm)/55 Mk.8 AS/AA gun (25rds/min to 22 km/11.9nmi) 1 × Phalanx CIWS 1 × 6-cell LY-60N SAM launcher 2 × 20 mm Oerlikon cannon
Aircraft carried	1 × Lynx HAS.3 helicopter
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and hangar

PNS Tariq (DDG-181) was the lead ship of the Tariq-class destroyers in the Surface Command of the Pakistan Navy that served in the military service from 1993 until 2023. Prior to being commissioned in the Pakistan Navy, she served in the Royal Navy, as general purpose frigate HMS Ambuscade.

Designed and constructed by Yarrow Shipbuilders, Ltd. at Glasgow, Scotland, in 1975, she underwent an extensive modernization and mid-life upgrade program by the KSEW Ltd. at the Naval Base Karachi in 1998–2002.

Tariq was decommissioned on 6 August 2023, alongside plans to return her to the United Kingdom for conversion to a museum ship.

Service history

Acquisition, construction, and modernization

Before commissioning in the Pakistan Navy, she served in the Royal Navy as HMS Ambuscade, saw active military operations during the United Kingdom's Falklands War with Argentina in 1980s. She was lead ship based on the Type 21/Amazon design and was constructed by the Yarrow Shipbuilders, Ltd. in Glasgow in Scotland in 1973–75.

After the successful negotiations took place between Pakistan and the United Kingdom to procure the entire fleet of Type 21/Amazon frigates, she was decommissioned by the Royal Navy and a contingent of Pakistan Navy's personnel under Commander Muhammad Anwar arrived to receive training of her operations. She was commissioned in the services of Pakistan Navy on 28 July 1993 at the Port of Plymouth in England, reporting to its Naval Base Karachi on 18 November 1993.

She was named after Tariq ibn Ziyad, the commander who led the Umayyad conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711–718 A.D. She was sponsored by the Benazir Bhutto, who as a chief guest and then-Prime Minister serving at that time.

The Royal Navy did not transfer either the Exocet and Seacat missiles, which were removed prior to arriving at Karachi but the Westland Lynx helicopters remained with the ship. The modernization of the ship was performed by KSEW Ltd which later installed the Phalanx system in place of the Seacat missiles as well as the Mk. 36 SRBOC launchers and 20 mm and 30 mm guns were fitted.

Deployment

Her wartime performance included in deployments in patrolling off the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea as well as deploying in the Mediterranean Sea when she was part of the multinational military exercise with the U.S. Navy in 2005.

After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Tariq was deployed on a search-and-rescue mission to the Maldives, where she rescued 377 tourists.

Decommissioning and disposal

On 6 August 2023, after 30 years service, Tariq was decommissioned in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the ship's original sponsor, Benazir Bhutto.

The Pakistan Navy has responded positively to proposals to return the Falklands veteran to the UK to become a museum ship near her birthplace on the River Clyde, at Glasgow or Greenock.

Gallery

• The Pakistan Navy's enlists wearing the anti-flash gear observing the VBSS drill under the Pakistan Navy SSGN and the U.S. Navy SEALs during CTF-150 operations in the Gulf of Oman in 2005.
• The Pakistan Navy's Master-at-Arms observes the VBBS drill holding on the naval gun in Gulf of Oman in 2005.
• The Pakistan Navy SSGN performing the VBSS drill aboard PNS Tariq in 2005.
• A SH-60 Seahawk helicopter preparing to land on the flight deck of USS Ingraham, leading the task force of Egyptian and Pakistan Navy during the Operation Bright Star in the Mediterranean Sea in 2005. Tariq is in the fourth row in front of USS Pearl Harbor, the last ship of this column.

References

1. "PNS Tariq". www.paknavy.gov.pk. ISPR Navy. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
2. Anwar, Dr Muhammad (2006). Stolen Stripes and Broken Medals: Autobiography of a Senior Naval Officer. Author House. p. 131. ISBN 978-1-4670-1056-6.
3. ^ Shabbir, Usman (1 June 2003). "Tariq (Amazon) Class (TYPE 21) (DD/FF) « PakDef Military Consortium". pakdef.org. Karachi, Sindh Pak.: Pakistan Military Consortium. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
4. "HMS Ambuscade". Clydebuilt. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
5. "PNS Tariq visits Kuwait". Kuwait Times. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2018 – via pressreader.com.
6. Anwar, Muhammad (2006). Stolen Stripes and Broken Medals: Autobiography of a Senior Naval Officer (1st ed.). London, UK: AuthorHouse. p. 240. ISBN 9781425900205.
7. "Pakistan Naval Ship Tariq visits Oman". Daily Oman. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2018 – via PressReader.
8. ^ "Pakistan Ship on goodwill visit". Times of Oman. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2018 – via PressReader.
9. "Pakistan Navy decommissions last Type-21 Class Ship PNS TARIQ". www.radio.gov.pk. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
10. "Photo Gallery". www.defense.gov. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
11. ^ Hasan, Shazia (6 August 2023). "Navy decommissions historic warship after 30 years of service". Dawn. Karachi. Archived from the original on 27 September 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
12. Loudon, Calum (21 February 2023). "Falklands warship launched in 1973 to be turned into museum". STV News. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
13. Hanvidge, Ross (27 October 2023). "HMS Ambuscade: Bid to bring ex-Royal Navy ship to Greenock". Greenock Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.

External links

• "PNS Tariq". www.paknavy.gov.pk. ISPR Navy. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
• "Tariq (Amazon) Class (TYPE 21) (DD/FF) « PakDef Military Consortium". pakdef.org. Archived from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2018.

v t e Type 21 (Amazon-class) frigates
Royal Navy	Amazon Antelope Active Ambuscade Arrow Alacrity Ardent Avenger
Pakistan Navy Tariq-class destroyers	Tariq (ex-Ambuscade) Babur (ex-Amazon) Khaibar (ex-Arrow) Badr (ex-Alacrity) Tippu Sultan (ex-Avenger) Shah Jahan (ex-Active)
D Classified as destroyers by the Pakistan Navy
Preceded by: Type 12I (Leander-class) frigates Followed by: Type 22 (Broadsword-class) frigates
List of frigates of the Royal Navy

v t e  Pakistan Navy
Leadership	Commander-in-Chief President of Pakistan Chief Executive Prime Minister of Pakistan Parliament Senate Committee on Defence National Assembly Committee on Defence Cabinet Committee on National Security Ministries Defence Secretary Defence Production Naval Headquarters Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chief of Naval Staff Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Commander of Fleet Commander Central Punjab Flag Officer Sea Training Assistant Chiefs of the Naval Staff Serving Admirals
Commands	Coastal Command Northern Command Western Command Navy Strategic Forces Surface Fleet Submarine Force Logistics Command Navy Special Service Group Marines
Administrative arms	Bases Karachi Jinnah Kalmat Zafar Ahsan Akram Hameed Iqbal Mehran Marines Manora Qasim Sir Creek Branches Air Arm Band Hydrography Judge Advocate General Naval Intelligence Naval Police Maritime Security Agency Nursing Service Ordnance Medical Darmaan Jah Rahat Shifa Hafeez
Affiliated organisations	Bahria Foundation Bahria Maritime Works Organization Bahria Schools and Colleges Defence Industry Martime Technologies Complex Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Sports Navy Cricket Navy F.C. Ports Port Qasim Karachi Port Trust Gwadar Port
Education and Training	Service training Pakistan Naval Academy Bootcamp Himalaya Pakistan Marine Academy Bahria University Bahria College Islamabad National Defence University Naval War College National University of Sciences and Technology College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Military College of Engineering Military College of Signals Pakistan Navy Engineering College College of Aeronautical Engineering Training formations School of Infantry and Tactics School of Logistics and Management Naval Warfare School Technical School Preparatory colleges Cadet College Ormara Cadet College Petaro
Literature and culture	Books Military Inc. A Case of Exploding Mangoes Crossed Swords In the Line of Fire Films Ghazi Shaheed Hangor S-131
Related	Maritime Museum Warships Awards and decorations Women in the Pakistan Armed Forces Criticism of the Pakistan Armed Forces The Establishment (Pakistan)
Category:Pakistan Navy

• 1973 ships
• Ships built in Pakistan
• Tariq-class destroyers