HMS Aurora (F10)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

HMS Aurora (F10) was a Royal Navy Leander-class frigate built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. Laid down on 1 June 1961, she was launched on 28 November 1962 and commissioned on 9 April 1964. She led the 2nd Frigate Squadron from 1964. In 1974–76 she was converted at Chatham Dockyard to the Ikara anti-submarine warfare system (Batch 1b Leander), at a cost of £15.58 million, changing her role to a specialized ASW ship. She carried a Westland Wasp helicopter.

Notable service
- 1968: Wasp helicopter accident off South Africa.
- 1969: Took part in the 25th anniversary commemorations of Operation Dragoon.
- 1972: Rescued five fishermen from the Jon Eiriksson near the Faroe Islands during the Cod War.
- 1978: Joined the Fishery Protection Squadron.
- 1982: Took part in the Armilla Patrol.
- 1983: Participated in the Orient Express deployment to the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.

Aurora was decommissioned on 28 April 1987 due to defence cutbacks and manpower shortages. She arrived for scrapping on 6 September 1990 at Millom, Cumbria.

Key specifications
- Class/type: Leander-class frigate
- Displacement: about 2,500 tons standard, 2,962 tons full load
- Length/beam/draught: 113.4 m, 13.1 m, 4.5 m
- Propulsion: two oil-fired boilers, geared steam turbines, 27 knots
- Range: 7,400 km at 15 knots
- Crew: around 260
- Armament (initial): two 4.5-inch guns, Seacat, two 20 mm guns, Limbo mortar
- Armament (Batch 1 Ikara): Ikara anti-submarine launcher, Seacat launchers, two 40 mm guns, 2 × 324 mm STWS-1 torpedo tubes, Limbo mortar
- Aircraft: Westland Wasp helicopter
- Sensors: radars and sonars including Types 965 (air warning later removed in Batch 1), 992Q, 903, 974/978; Sonars 162, 184, 199