HMS Gurkha (F122)

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HMS Gurkha (F122) was a Template:Sclass2 of the Royal Navy. She was named after an ethnic group located in Nepal, and who continue to serve in the British Army. She was sold to the Indonesian Navy in 1984 and renamed KRI Wilhelmus Zakarias Yohannes (332).

Design

The Tribal-, or Type 81-class, frigates were developed in the mid-1950s as a General Purpose frigate, capable of use in both anti-submarine and anti-aircraft duties in a full-scale war, while serving for Cold War policing duties in peace-time,<ref name="Friedp242">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="marp70">Template:Harvnb</ref> in particular to replace the old Template:Sclass2s serving in the Persian Gulf.<ref name="conways p518"/>

The Tribals were Template:Convert long overall and Template:Convert between perpendiculars, with a beam of Template:Convert.<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="marp72">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="jfs71 p356">Template:Harvnb</ref> The ship's hull had a draught of Template:Convert,<ref name="Friedp322">Template:Harvnb</ref> with the propeller increasing overall draught to Template:Convert.<ref name="jfs71 p356"/> Displacement was Template:Convert standard and Template:Convert full load.<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="jfs71 p356"/> Propulsion was by a single-shaft Combined steam and gas (COSAG) arrangement, effectively half of the powerplant of the Template:Sclass2s. A single Babcock & Wilcox boiler fed steam at Template:Convert and Template:Convert to a geared steam turbine rated at Template:Convert, which could be supplemented by a Metrovick G-6 gas turbine rated at Template:Convert to reach top speed, with the gas turbine also allowing the ship to get underway quickly in an emergency, without having to wait to raise steam.<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="Friedp242"/> Speed was about Template:Convert using both steam and gas turbine power,<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="jfs71 p356"/> and Template:Convert on steam power alone.<ref name="marp70"/>

The ships were fitted with two QF 4.5-in (113 mm) Mark 5 guns, salvaged from scrapped Second World War destroyers, mounted fore and aft. It was intended to fit two Seacat anti-aircraft missile launchers, but these were not ready in time, and Gurkha completed with two 40 mm Bofors guns instead, with Seacat replacing the Bofors guns on refit. For anti-submarine and anti-ship duties, a hangar and flight deck for a single Westland Wasp helicopter was fitted, while a Limbo anti-submarine mortar provided close-in anti-submarine armament.<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="marp702">Template:Harvnb</ref> Gurkha was fitted with a large Type 965 long range air search radar on a lattice foremast, with a Type 993 short range air/surface target indicating radar and Type 978 navigation radar also fitted. An MRS3 fire control system was carried to direct the 4.5-inch guns.<ref name="marp723">Template:Harvnb</ref> The ship had a sonar suite of Type 177 medium range search sonar, Type 162 bottom search and Type 170 attack sonar.<ref name="marp72"/> Type 199 Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) was fitted in 1969.<ref name="marp73">Template:Harvnb</ref> The ship had a crew of 253 officers and other ranks.<ref name="conways p518"/><ref name="jfs71 p356"/>

Royal Navy service

Gurkha was ordered under the 1955–56 Naval Estimates from John I. Thornycroft & Company, of Woolston, Hampshire,<ref name="jfs71 p356"/><ref name="conways p518">Template:Harvnb</ref> at a cost of £4,865,000<ref>"Missile Destroyer Cost £15m". The Times (55970): Col B, p. 6. 26 March 1964.</ref> She was laid down on 3 November 1958, was launched on 11 July 1960 and commissioned on 13 February 1963,<ref name="conways p518"/> joining the 9th Frigate Squadron in the Middle East.<ref name="critp109">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1965 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days,<ref>Programme, Navy Days Portsmouth, 28th–30th August 1965, p14.</ref> and again deployed to the Middle East with the 9th Frigate Squadron.<ref name="critp109"/> On 19 June 1966, Gurkha sailed from Aden to the Seychelles to support the Seychelles police as a series of strikes threatened violence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 14 January 1967 she commenced her third commission, leaving British waters on 24 July. She served on the Beira Patrol and during the withdrawal of British forces from Aden before carrying out patrol operations in the Persian Gulf, returning to Rosyth on 14 May 1968.<ref name="critp109"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1975, Gurkha deployed to the West Indies, where the ship performed various duties.Template:Citation needed In 1976, Gurkha supported Royal Navy efforts against Iceland during the Third Cod War. She sustained superficial damage on 7 May when the patrol ship Template:Ship attempted to force the ship towards the British trawler Ross Ramilles, during which Óðinn collided with Gurkha.<ref>"Worst night so far in cod war". The Times (59699): Col C, p. 1. 8 May 1976.</ref> In that collision ÓðinnTemplate:'s port propeller was damaged by GurkhaTemplate:'s starboard stabiliser, forcing her to return to port for repairs.

Gurkha was present at the 1977 Spithead Fleet Review, held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. At this time she was part of the 1st Frigate Squadron.<ref>Official Souvenir Programme, 1977. Silver Jubilee Fleet Review, HMSO</ref>

Gurkha was reduced to the reserve in 1980, being placed in the Standby Squadron. Although she had been put on the disposal list,<ref>Hansard (26 April 1982), api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2012.</ref> Gurkha was removed from the reserve during the Falklands War and prepared for active service,<ref>Hansard (27 May 1982), api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2012.</ref> recommissioning on 24 July.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gurkha remained in home waters, fulfilling duties in the absence of ships that were operating in the South Atlantic.

In October 1982, Gurkha became Gibraltar Guardship,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> following this was a deployment to the Caribbean late in 1982 on "Carib Train" returning to the UK in early 1983. During this later part of her life she had a section of Gurkhas onboard instead of the usual Royal Marine contingent.Template:Citation needed

Indonesian Navy service

After being decommissioned in March 1984, Gurkha was sold to Indonesia in April that year, and after a refit at Vosper Thornycroft's Woolston, Southampton shipyard, the ship was commissioned into the Indonesian Navy on 21 October 1985.<ref name="cf90p248">Template:Harvnb</ref> She was renamed KRI Wilhelmus Zakarias Yohannes for the Indonesian national hero Wilhelmus Zakaria Johannes,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> a radiologist and specialist in X-ray technology. The frigate was stricken from service in 2000.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Publications

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|_exclude=case, year, _debug
| last1 = Colledge
| first1 = J. J. 
| author-link1= J. J. Colledge
| last2 = Warlow
| first2 = Ben
| date = 2006
| orig-date = 1969
| title = Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present
| edition = Rev.
| location = London
| publisher = Chatham Publishing
| isbn = 978-1-86176-281-8
| OCLC = 67375475

}}

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