HMS Eskimo

After 4 years at Portsmouth in use as a source of spares for the operational Tribals brought forward from Standby, the Eskimo was towed from Portsmouth to Pembroke for use a target trials ship. The frigate would however escape a watery end and was eventually towed to Bilbao for scrap in May 1992.

This image appeared in the Navy News in March 1986 stating the ship was to be used in a live target exercise. It was this source which encouraged the rumour of the Eskimo's early inaccurate demise.

At the time of this photo being taken, two other Tribals were sited at Portsmouth, the Ashanti which can be seen inboard of Londonderry and Falmouth on the pier at HMS Sultan. The other was the Nubian which was moored off Tipnor and in use as an SBS training ship and stores hulk by DILSUP.

Quick Question.. Does anyone know why Ashanti was retired as Sultan training ship before the Falmouth and Londonderry? One would assume being combined steam/gas machinery she would have been more useful than the older Type 12 design for trainees.....

Whenever I see a photo with Robust or Rollicker in it, it is usually towing some poor old warship to its death. Can't stand the sight of them for that reason!

No doubt they were great and probably popular with their crews.

I think someone on here said they rolled quite a bit...

thats correct stevo she was more useful as a training platform at the time when gas turbines were the up and coming thing for fast cruise warship propulsion to trian engineers.... youll recall she was a trials ship for gas turbine

and im reliably informed she shifted well with the olly going maxi chat

Those Sultan training ships were kept in good nick, I think it was member M1188 who was telling me he was assigned to those ships and got sea pay just to keep those ships in tidy condition.

Tribals had a G6 GT, same as the County Class. Exmouth was the Oly trials ship.

In my gallery i have a smiler image of H.M.S MOHAWK being towed by one of those ....Robust or Rollicker



http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/61640/title/h-m-s-mohawk/cat/all

A very intresting photo ..

yorky Jim

Jim, that's a great Pic of Mohawk and caused quite a discussion. It also answers my question as to why Mohawk went for scrap early in Oct 82 rather than be used as spares, she was knackered basically!!!