HMS Diomede (F16)

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Career

Ordered:
Laid down:	30th January 1968
Launched:	15th April 1969
Commissioned:	2nd April 1971
Decommissioned:	31st May 1988
Fate:	Sold to Pakistani Navy July 1988. Renamed Shamsher
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HMS Diomede (F16) was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders in Glasgow. Diomede was launched on the 15th April 1969 and commissioned on the 2nd April 1971. Her nickname was "Dimweed".

In 1972, Diomede took part in the Second Cod War during the fishing dispute with Iceland, though thankfully Diomede's involvement was more quiet than her involvement in the subsequent Cod War. Also that year, Diomede joined the 3rd Frigate Squadron which was then based in the Far East.

In 1974, Diomede, took part in Task Group (TG) 317.2 which was a deployment that caused some controversy back in the UK when the TG, on its way to the Far East/Pacific, visited South Africa, which was at that time under apartheid rule, as-well as performing military exercises with the South African armed forces. Diomede, along with the nuclear submarine Warspite, visited the port of Simonstown while the rest of the TG visisted Cape Town. The TG, upon reaching the Far East performed a number of exercises and 'fly the flag' visits with Far East and Pacific countries. They did not visit South Africa on their return, and headed to Brazil for an exercise with the Brazilian Navy. Diomede returned to the UK in June 1975.

The following year, Diomede joined the Fishery Protection Squadron, and took part in the Third Cod War. During that 'war' in February, Diomede was rammed by the Icelandic gunboat Baldur, which performed a number of similar incidents to many ships during the Cod Wars. The following month, Diomede was involved in a similar incident with the same gunboat and just three days after that incident was again rammed by another gunboat, the Tyr, equally notorious to the RN during the Cod Wars. Astonishingly, later that month, Diomede was rammed once again by Baldur.

In 1977, Diomede, along with others of the Leander-class, was present in the, so far, last Fleet Review of the RN, in celebration of HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Her modernisation that would have given her Exocet and SeaWolf was cancelled due to John Knot's 1981 Defence Review and she was intended to be placed in the Standby Squadron but the decision was repealed due to the 1982 Falklands War. During that year, Diomede went to sunnier climes when she deployed to the Persian Gulf on patrol. In 1988, Diomede was decommissioned from the Royal Navy and subsequently sold to Pakistan where she was renamed Shamsher.