HMS Ambuscade and USS Dale.

 Type 21 frigate HMS Ambuscade showing damage to her bow after colliding with the USS Dale during a joint exercise in the Indian Ocean, 1983.

On the morning of the 27th of April 1983, HMS Ambuscade and USS Dale were conducting joint manoeuvres when a miscalculation meant that both ships were the wrong distance apart from each other. After realising the risk of collision, each ship attempted to correct this at the same time, however it was already too late. HMS Ambuscade collided with the much larger American warship, resulting in serious damage to Ambuscade's bow and minor damage to USS Dale due to the fact that she was a significantly larger vessel.

At this point, the ship was called to emergency stations, with damage control teams and divers ensuring that the compartments around the damaged area were still watertight.

The US Navy then offered the help of their Sea King helicopter, however all it managed to do was blow the Flight Deck Officer, Master At Arms Phil Hudson, overboard with it's rotor down-rush whilst hovering over the flight deck.

Luckily, no one was badly injured or killed during the incident, however, a large number of crates of beer had fallen through the hole in the bow into the sea, with some crew members managing to rescue the ones that floated, taking them to the sailor's Mess for safe-keeping!A decision was made to sail to Bombay (4 days away) for repairs, with the weather luckily holding and the sea staying calm for this voyage. (Second photo)

The ship then was dry docked in Bombay (Mumbai) for a six week period, with the crew being housed in nearby hotels and even being flown out to Goa for a week’s rest!