HMS Ariadne (F72)

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Career

Ordered:
Laid down:	1st November 1969
Launched:	10th September 1971
Commissioned:	10th February 1973
Decommissioned:	May 1992 from Royal Navy
Fate:	Sold to Chile 1992
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HMS Ariadne (F72) was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). Like the rest of the Leander-class, Ariadne was named after a figure of greek mythology. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders of Scotstoun and was the last of the Leander-class to be completed and the last warship to be built for the RN powered by steam. Ariadne was launched on the 10th September 1971 and commissioned on the 10th February 1973.

In the year of her commission, Ariadne undertook a Fishery Protection Patrol during the Second Cod War with Iceland. In 1976, Ariadne completed a refit and the following year took part in the annual Group Deployment, visiting a variety of ports in South America and West Africa, as-well as performing naval exercises. Later that year, Ariadne took part in the Fleet Review of the Royal Navy, in celebration of HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee. She was positioned in the middle of HM ships Antelope and Jupiter. In 1979, Ariadne joined Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), a NATO multi-national squadron.

Ariadne was intended for modernisation, which would have included the removal of her one 4.5-in twin gun, which would have been replaced by the Exocet anti-ship missile, as-well as the addition of the SeaWolf missile, but the 1981 Defence Review by the defence minister John Nott, cancelled the modernisation for Ariadne and other Batch Three ships. In 1981, Ariadne became the West Indies Guardship, and while there, performed a variety of duties in that region. In 1983, Ariadne shadowed the Soviet cruiser Slava, which had only been commissioned in 1982, while she was sailing off Ireland. It was a common practise during the Cold War, with Soviet warships also shadowing RN vessels quite often. In 1987, Ariadne joined the 6th Frigate Squadron.

Ariadne, after spending the last years of her career as a training ship, decommissioned in May 1992 and was subsequently sold to Chile, being renamed General Baquedano. She was decommissioned from the Chilean Navy in December 1998 and sunk as target in 2004.

See HMS Ariadne for other ships of the name.

Leander-class frigate

Royal Navy (Leander class)