A total of forty-three Royal Navy warships, supported by twenty-two Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and sixty-two merchant vessels, were deployed during the 1982 Falklands War. It was the largest armada for the UK's senior service since the Second World War, and it saw five of its warships sunk during the brief conflict in the South Atlantic. 

The surviving warships saw lengthy service, with some being sold to such nations as Brazil, Chile, India, and Pakistan. That included the flagship aircraft carrier HMS Hermes (R12), which was sold to India in 1986 and operated as the Indian Navy's INS Viraat until 2017. 

When the warship was retired, a crowdfunding campaign was launched to preserve the flattop as a museum ship, but unfortunately, it didn't come to pass and the carrier was scrapped. Sadly, the Supreme Court of India had ordered the scrapping to be put on hold, but by that point, forty percent of the ship had already been dismantled. It was just one of so many majestic warships that met an unfitting end. 

However, another warship will now be preserved, and likely will be the only one saved of the vessels that took part in the 1982 conflict. 

It was announced last week that the Pakistani Navy Type 21 frigate PNS Tariq would depart the Karachi Naval Dockyard next February and be readied to make a return trip to the UK, where the warship was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the River Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland the 1970s. 

Commissioned in 1975 as HMS Ambuscade, the Type 21 frigate was sold to Pakistan in 1993. After thirty years of service, the vessel was retired last year. Instead of meeting the same ignominious end as the other vessels that took part in the conflict, including being sunk as targets, the former Royal Navy warship will be preserved as a museum. 

"The Pakistani Navy has kindly donated the ship to the preservation project, forgoing a considerable sum in potential scrap value," Navy Lookout reported. "A team from the UK will be heading to Karachi to carry out some of the work required." 

A Hero's Welcome Awaits 

The arrival of the former HMS Ambuscade is already being seen as a big deal, and it was delayed due to concerns it would be a high-value target for the Iran-back Houthis in the Red Sea, who would no doubt like to take credit for sinking a Royal Navy vessel, even one that lacks any active air defense systems. 

According to Navy Lookout, the arrival is expected to be televised and could see interest from potential sponsors. The eventual goal of Clyde Naval Heritage is to have the frigate turned into a museum ship in Glasgow that will "celebrate and showcase Clyde's shipbuilding heritage and links to the Royal Navy," but also the veterans of the Falklands War. 

Failed Attempt in Argentina 

HMS Ambuscade will likely be the only preserved warship from the 1982 conflict, but it should be noted that Argentina did attempt to turn the former ARA Santisima Trinidad into a floating museum. The warship was based on the Royal Navy's Type 42 destroyer but was built domestically in Argentina. 

After being retired from service, Buenos Aires sought to preserve the vessel after the destroyer sank in port and was later raised. Many parts had already been cannibalized to keep her sister ARA Hércules in service, due to a British boycott of parts following the Falklands War. Efforts to preserve the ship as a museum have faced numerous setbacks and while a Bahía Blanca Federal Court of Appeals ordered ARA Santisima Trinidad be preserved due to her historical significance, it is believed the ship is likely too far gone to be saved. 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected]. 

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