View source for HMS Aurora (F10)

{{short description|1964 Type 12I or Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy}}
{{other ships|HMS Aurora}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMS Aurora MOD 45140164.jpg
|Ship caption=''Aurora'' post IKARA conversion
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|naval}}
|Ship name=''Aurora''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[John Brown & Company]]
|Ship original cost=£4.65m
|Ship yard number=721
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=1 June 1961
|Ship launched=28 November 1962
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=9 April 1964
|Ship recommissioned=5 August 1967
|Ship decommissioned=28 April 1987
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=Converted to IKARA Batch 1b Leander 4 December 1974 – 27 February 1976 – Chatham Dockyard. Conversion cost £15.58m
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=Chatham
|Ship registry=
|Ship motto=Post Tenebras Lux:  'After darkness light'
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship identification=[[Pennant number]]: F10
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Arrived for scrapping 6 September 1990 at Millom, Cumbria
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Leander|frigate}}
|Ship displacement=2,500 tons standard, 2,962 tons full load
|Ship length={{cvt|113.4|m|ftin}}
|Ship beam={{cvt|13.1|m|ftin}}
|Ship draught={{cvt|4.5|m|ftin}}
|Ship propulsion=2 [[Babcock & Wilcox]] oil-fired boilers, geared steam turbines, {{convert|22370|kW}}, 2 shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|27|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|7400|km|mi nmi}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship endurance=
|Ship complement=260
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=*Radar:
** Types 965 (air warning radar removed in batch 1 ships), 992Q, 903, 974/978
*Sonar:
**Types 162, 184, 199
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*''Initial'':
**2 × [[QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun|4.5-inch guns (1 × twin mounting Mk6)]]
**1 × [[Sea Cat missile|Seacat]] surface-to-air missile launcher
**2 × 20 mm guns (single mountings)
**1 × ASW [[Limbo mortar]]
*''Batch 1'':
**1 × Ikara Anti submarine missile launcher
**2 × Seacat surface-to-air missile launchers
**2 × 40 mm guns - single mountings
**2 × triple 324 mm (12.75 in) STWS-1 tubes for Mk 46 and [[Stingray torpedo|Stingray ASW torpedoes]]
**1 × Limbo ASW Mortar
|Ship aircraft=*''Initial and Batch 1'':
**1 × [[Westland Wasp]] ASW helicopter.
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''HMS ''Aurora''''' was a {{sclass|Leander|frigate}} of the [[Royal Navy]] (RN). Like other ships of the class, ''Aurora'' was named after a figure of mythology, [[Aurora (mythology)|Aurora]] being the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess [[Eos]].

==History==
''Aurora'' was built by [[John Brown & Company]], shipbuilders of [[Clydebank]], [[Scotland]]. ''Aurora'' was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 28 November 1962 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 9 April 1964.

''Aurora'' became the leader of the [[2nd Frigate Squadron]] in 1964. From 1967 to 1968, [[Derek Bazalgette]] served her as Commanding Officer. On 17 April 1968, her [[Westland Wasp]] ASW helicopter from [[829 Naval Air Squadron]] crashed off South Africa. It was replaced by an aircraft from {{HMS|Gurkha|F122|6}}.

In August 1969, ''Aurora'', together with the American destroyer {{USS|Macdonough|DDG-39|2}} and the French destroyer {{Ship|French destroyer|La Galissonnière|D638|2}}, took part in the commemorations at [[Théoule-sur-Mer]] of the 25th anniversary of [[Operation Dragoon]], the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] invasion of Southern France.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aurora 'war landings' visit |newspaper=[[Navy News]] |date=October 1969 |page=3 |url=https://issuu.com/navynews/docs/196910 |access-date=21 October 2019}}</ref> From 1970 to 1971, [[Paul Greening]] served as her Commanding Officer.

On 19 September 1972, while on patrol near the [[Faroe Islands]] during the [[Second Cod War]], ''Aurora'' came to the aid of the [[Iceland]]ic fishing vessel ''Jon Eiriksson'' that had caught fire, rescuing the five-person crew of the fishing vessel with the frigate's helicopter.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iceland is ready for unilateral discussions |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=20 September 1972 |issue=58584 |page=4}}</ref> Soon after this incident, ''Aurora'' underwent modernisation which included the addition of the [[Ikara (missile)|Ikara]] [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) missile launcher that in effect changed the Batch One ships, of which ''Aurora'' was part, into a specialised ASW batch rather than its original role as a general-purpose batch. The modernisation was completed in 1976.

In 1978, ''Aurora'' joined the [[Fishery]] Protection [[Squadron (naval)|Squadron]], undertaking patrols and other duties in support of British fishing interests around the UK. She remained with the squadron until she was eventually transferred to the [[7th Frigate Squadron (United Kingdom)|7th Frigate Squadron]], which was stationed in the [[Far East]], just as the RN presence in that region was being reduced.

Further duties were undertaken by ''Aurora'' across the world and in 1982 she took part in the [[Armilla patrol|Armilla Patrol]] and in 1983 was deployed to the Far East, Australia and New Zealand during the Royal Navy's 'Orient Express' deployment along with [[HMS Invincible (R05)|HMS Invincible]], [[HMS Rothesay (F107)|HMS Rothsay]] and other RN Ships.

However in 1987, due to defence cuts, as well as manpower shortages, a common problem for the RN at that time, ''Aurora'' was decommissioned.

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050501203850/http://www.clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/viewship.asp?id=2507 HMS ''Aurora'' (Clydebuilt Ships Database)] (Retrieved February 2010)
* 1967–1969 Ship's Logs. National Archives, Kew

==Publications==
* {{Cite Colledge2006}}
* Marriott, Leo, 1983.  ''Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983'', Ian Allan Ltd.  {{ISBN|07110 1322 5}}

{{Leander class frigate}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora (F10)}}
[[Category:Leander-class frigates]]
[[Category:1962 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]