HMS Euryalus (F15)

HMS "Euryalus" (F15) was a "Leander"-class frigate of the Royal Navy (RN). Like the rest of the class, "Euryalus" was named after a figure of mythology. "Euryalus" was built by Scotts Shipbuilders of Greenock. "Euryalus" was launched on the 6th June 1963 and commissioned on the 16th September 1964.

This "Euryalus" was the sixth of the name and had a strong liaison with the Lancashire Fusiliers, whose motto ("Omnia Audax") she bore from the 4th "Euryalus" landing its 1st Battalion at W Beach, Gallipoli, where the Regiment "won six Victoria Crosses before breakfast".

On commissioning "Euryalus" became Leader of the 26th Escort Squadron which was based in the Far East. While based in the Far East, "Euryalus" took part in Indonesian Confrontation, with "Euryalus" having few incidents during her participation in the conflict, mainly patrolling the waters around Borneo.

In 1966 "Euryalus" recommissioned and went into refit in Devonport. In April 1967, after work up, she joined "STANAVFORLANT", visiting Sweden (Stockholm), Norway(Bodo and Tromsoe), Iceland, Canada (for Expo 67 and the Canadian Centennial), and Newport, Rhode Island. She deployed to the Far East in December 1967 as Leader of the 1st Frigate Squadron and spent Christmas in Simonstown (South Africa). Early 1968 she carried out a six-week Beira Patrol followed by a week on Internal Security duty in Mauritius which was approaching independence, which had caused the different racial groups there to jostle violently for position. This deployment to the Far East continued with visits to Sydney, Auckland, the New Hebrides, Tsuruga and Yokohama in Japan, and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Sabah and Singapore before returning home in December 1968 via Auckland, Fiji, Pearl Harbour, San Diego and the Panama Canal.

In 1969, "Euryalus" again returned to the Far East, which also had a substantial RN presence at the time.

In 1970,, "Euryalus" became the Gibraltar guard ship, a role that a number of Leanders performed. In 1972, "Euryalus" undertook a Beira Patrol, designed to prevent oil reaching Rhodesia via Mozambique. The following year, "Euryalus" began her modernisation at Devonport Dockyard, which included the removal of her one twin 4.5-in gun to accommodate the Australian-designed Ikara anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missile system. The modernisation was completed in 1976.

In 1977, the highlight of the year was the taking part in June of the Fleet Review of the Royal Navy, in celebration of HM the Queen's Silver Jubilee. She was positioned in the middle of her sister-ships "Scylla" and "Danae". In 1978, "Euryalus" was a member of the Second Frigate Squadron (F2) more commonly know as the Portland Training Squadron, spending most of her time in and around Portland Naval base. She took part in various exercises, including the dreaded "Thursday War", helping to train warships and auxiliaries of the Royal and Foreign navies as part of maintaining their operational effectiveness. However it was not all work and no play as she carried out visits to Bayonne in France, Aalborg in Denmark, and a "Meet the Navy" visit to her adopted town of South Shields where she took part in the activities to commemorate the wartime exploits of HMS "Kelly". The highlight of which was a visit by Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma.

In 1981, "Euryalus" undertook a Middle East patrol during the tense times in that region, specifically the Iran–Iraq War which had begun the previous year. In 1982, "Euryalus", along with her sister-ship "Leander", came to the aid of the Portuguese vessel MV "Ave Maria" which was ablaze off the Essex coast, rescuing 45 people. In 1984, "Euryalus" joined the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), a NATO multi-national squadron. In 1986, "Euryalus" became the leader of the 1st Frigate Squadron. "Euryalus" decommissioned on the 31st March 1989 and was bought by Devonport Management Limited with the intention of then selling her to a foreign navy, but this was not to be, and in 1990, "Euryalus" was sold for scrap.