HMS Tartar (F133)

HMS Tartar (F133) was a Tribal-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). She was named after the Tartar people, most of whom were located in Asia and Eastern Europe. She was sold to Indonesia in 1984.

Tartar was built by Devonport Dockyard, at a cost of £4,140,000. She was launched on 19 September 1960 and commissioned on 26 February 1962.

Royal Navy Service
While in the West Indies in 1963, Tartar provided support to Trinidad after Hurricane Flora struck the Caribbean. In early December, Tartar's crew apprehended nine armed Cuban on board a ship off Cay Sal, Bahamas, where an arms cache was discovered by a ship's party.

Tartar recommissioned on 12 January 1967 and attended Portsmouth Navy Days later that year. The frigate arrived in the Persian Gulf in 1968.

In 1975, Tartar undertook fishery protection duties in the Barents Sea. She supported operations during the Third Cod War with Iceland. During the dispute, Tartar was rammed by the patrol vessel Týr on 1 April, and by the Ægir in May. Later that year, in the West Indies, Tartar searched for and located the wreckage of Cubana Flight 455.. She was present at the Spithead Fleet Review in 1977, held in honour of Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. At this time she was part of the 1st Frigate Squadron

Tartar was reduced to reserve in 1980, being placed in the Standby Squadron. She was taken out of reserve during the Falklands War and restored for active service. The frigate did not deploy to the South Atlantic, however, instead operating in home waters in the absence of other warships. She did deploy to the West Indies as guardship in 1982/1983 for 3 months, spending Christmas and new Year in St Petersburg Florida. In June 1983, Tartar's Westland Wasp helicopter evacuated the six-man crew of the supply ship Spearfish, which had collided with an oil rig in the English Channel. As a potential hazard to navigation, Spearfish had to be sunk by the guns of Tartar.

Indonesian Navy Service
Tartar was decommissioned in 1984 and sold to Indonesia as the Hasanuddin, so named after a sultan who fought the Dutch. The frigate has since been decommissioned. Her name was given to a Dutch-built Sigma class corvette.

Publications

 * Colledge, J. J. & Warlow, Ben (2010) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (4th Rev. ed.). London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-935149-07-1.
 * Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (1995), Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995, Conway Maritime Press, London, ISBN 978-0-8517-7605-7.
 * Marriot, Leo, 1983. Royal Navy Frigates 1945–1983, Ian Allen Ltd.  ISBN 07110 1322 5