HMS Apollo Underway
Seen in the Gulf of Oman in early March 1981, HMS Apollo was participating in officer-of-the-watch manoeuvres that marked a change of Royal Navy ships on Operation Armilla duties.
Apollo and Ardent had returned to the Gulf region from a break in Mombasa and HMS Birmingham (D86) and HMS Avenger (F185) were about to depart for home waters. They had been diverted from other activities in the Indian Ocean to set up an impromptu patrol in the Gulf in response to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War. Apollo and Ardent were the first units deployed from the UK for this patrol.
Built by Yarrows, Apollo was the penultimate ship in the 26-unit Leander class, commissioning in May 1972. The Batch IIIs were 113.4m in length, with a beam of 13.1m and a draught of 5.8m. Standard displacement was 2,500 tonnes. Their two oil-fired boilers fed 550 lb/sq in steam at 850˚F to a pair of double reduction-geared steam turbines. The 30,000 shp generated a speed of 28 kt. Interestingly, Apollo's fuel costs during the deployment were about twice those of Ardent, powered by Olympus/Tyne gas turbines.
The Mk 6 twin 4.5-inch 45-calibre gun was primarily an anti-aircraft weapon, the final development of the QF 4.5-inch naval gun first introduced in the mid-1930s. It took a considerable number (26?) of men to operate, in contrast to the replacement Mk 8 a 55-calibre weapon, which took full advantage of developments in automation, increasing the rate of fire and reducing manning requirements significantly.
Apollo was transferred to the Pakistani Navy in 1988 and renamed PNS Zulfiqar. She was finally disposed-of in February 2010 when she was expended as a target.
HMS Apollo Underway
Seen in the Gulf of Oman in early March 1981, HMS Apollo was participating in officer-of-the-watch manoeuvres that marked a change of Royal Navy ships on Operation Armilla duties.
Apollo and Ardent had returned to the Gulf region from a break in Mombasa and HMS Birmingham (D86) and HMS Avenger (F185) were about to depart for home waters. They had been diverted from other activities in the Indian Ocean to set up an impromptu patrol in the Gulf in response to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War. Apollo and Ardent were the first units deployed from the UK for this patrol.
Built by Yarrows, Apollo was the penultimate ship in the 26-unit Leander class, commissioning in May 1972. The Batch IIIs were 113.4m in length, with a beam of 13.1m and a draught of 5.8m. Standard displacement was 2,500 tonnes. Their two oil-fired boilers fed 550 lb/sq in steam at 850˚F to a pair of double reduction-geared steam turbines. The 30,000 shp generated a speed of 28 kt. Interestingly, Apollo's fuel costs during the deployment were about twice those of Ardent, powered by Olympus/Tyne gas turbines.
The Mk 6 twin 4.5-inch 45-calibre gun was primarily an anti-aircraft weapon, the final development of the QF 4.5-inch naval gun first introduced in the mid-1930s. It took a considerable number (26?) of men to operate, in contrast to the replacement Mk 8 a 55-calibre weapon, which took full advantage of developments in automation, increasing the rate of fire and reducing manning requirements significantly.
Apollo was transferred to the Pakistani Navy in 1988 and renamed PNS Zulfiqar. She was finally disposed-of in February 2010 when she was expended as a target.