HMS ''Nubian'' was a of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in service from 1962 and 1979. She was named after the Nubian ethnic group, located in Egypt and Sudan. She was sunk as a target in 1987. ''Nubian'' was built by

Portsmouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is l ...

,Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (1995), p. 518. at a cost of £4,360,000. She was launched on 6 September 1960 by Lady Holland-Martin, wife of Vice-Admiral Sir

Deric Holland-Martin Admiral Sir Douglas Eric Holland-Martin, (10 April 1906 – 6 January 1977) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel from 1957 to 1959. Naval career Educated at West Downs School, Holland-Martin ente ...

, and commissioned on 9 October 1962.

Operational service

In 1964, ''Nubian'' suffered a collision that caused minor damage. She joined the

Beira Patrol The Beira Patrol was a blockade of oil shipments to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) through Beira, Mozambique, resulting from United Nations trade sanctions on Rhodesia. Background Rhodesia's government unilaterally declared the former colony's inde ...

off

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

in 1967, supporting the enforcement of an oil blockade of

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

. ''Nubian'' constituted the escort for the

Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race The Daily Mail Trans-Atlantic Air Race was a race between London, UK and New York City, USA to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the first trans-atlantic crossing by John Alcock and Arthur Brown. The race Organised by the ''Daily Mail'' newsp ...

in 1969 that commemorated the 50th Anniversary of

Alcock and Brown British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919. They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, County Galway, Ireland. The Secretary ...

's non-stop transatlantic flight from

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

to Britain. In 1971 she was present at Portsmouth Navy Days. In 1975, ''Nubian'' reinforced the British garrison in Belize after

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

intensified its threats to annex the territory. ''Nubian'' was present at the 1977

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

Fleet Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

, held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. At this time she was part of the 5th Frigate Squadron. In 1978, ''Nubian'' assisted in the cleanup after the supertanker ''

Amoco Cadiz ''Amoco Cadiz'' was a VLCC (very large crude carrier) owned by Amoco Transport Corp and transporting crude oil for Shell Oil. Operating under the Liberian flag of convenience, she ran aground on 16 March 1978 on Portsall Rocks, from the coast ...

'' grounded off the coast of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

; more than 200,000 tons (180,000 metric tons) of oil had polluted the Brittany coastline. ''Nubian'' entered the reserve in 1979, being placed in the

Standby Squadron Standby may refer to: * Standby (air travel), a list in which passengers may request to be placed on to request an earlier or more convenient flight * Standby (theater), an actor or performer who will appear in a particular role if the regular per ...

and put on the disposal list in 1981. While in reserve, ''Nubian'' became a training ship and had parts cannibalised for three sister-ships sold to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

in 1984. The frigate was sunk as a target on 27 May 1987.Colledge, J. J. & Warlow, Ben (2010), p. 284.

References

Publications

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nubian (F131) Tribal-class frigates 1960 ships Ships built in Portsmouth