Warship earmarked as River Clyde museum threatened with destruction

A former Royal Navy warship which served in the Falklands War could be destroyed if campaigners fail to raise £2m to bring it back to Scotland.

HMS Ambuscade was built at the Yarrow shipyard in Glasgow in 1975 and was part of the Royal Navy’s fleet until 1993 when it was sold to Pakistan.

It was used to rescue 377 tourists in the Maldives during the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, by which time it had been renamed PNS Tariq.

The charity Clyde Naval Heritage (CNH) wants to bring the Type 21 frigate back to the River Clyde and turn it into a floating museum – but the Pakistan Navy has now ordered the vessel to leave Karachi by the end of September amid soaring transfer costs.

The £2m required is nearly double the figure originally needed, largely because insurance costs have gone up due to the conflict between the US and Iran.

Shipping has been significantly impacted since Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year, and there have been a number of attacks on vessels on the alternative waterway through the Red Sea.

CNH chief executive David O’Neill said the Pakistan Navy told him they would “dispose” of HMS Ambuscade if she is not removed by September and the immediate circumstances were not looking hopeful.

“We cited the continuing attacks on shipping, UK government advice and international shipping advice not to transit, but they don’t accept this,” he said.