HMS London (D16) was a County-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, constructed under the 1956–57 shipbuilding programme. Laid down at Swan Hunter's Wallsend shipyard on 26 February 1960, she was launched by Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, on 7 December 1961, and commissioned on 14 November 1963. Measuring 521 feet 6 inches (158.95 meters) in overall length and 505 feet (153.92 meters) between perpendiculars, she had a beam of 54 feet (16.46 meters) and a draught of 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 meters). Displacing 6,200 long tons (6,300 tonnes) normally and up to 6,800 long tons (6,900 tonnes) at deep load, her propulsion system combined steam turbines and gas turbines in a COSAG arrangement, enabling her to reach speeds of up to 30 knots (35 mph). Her range was approximately 3,500 nautical miles at 28 knots. HMS London was armed with a twin Seaslug missile launcher for anti-aircraft defense, with a range of about 34,000 yards (31 km), capable of carrying up to 39 missiles. She also featured Seacat missile launchers for close-in defense, two twin QF 4.5-inch Mark V gun mounts forward, and a helicopter deck and hangar for a Westland Wessex helicopter. Her sensor suite included Type 965 long-range radar, Type 278 height-finding radar, Type 992Q navigation radar, Type 901 fire control radar for Seaslug, and Type 184 sonar. Her service history was active and varied. After initial trials and successful firing of her Sea Slug missile in 1964, she undertook a transatlantic voyage, visiting Bermuda and Houston, and participated in a South American tour, including ports in Peru, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil. She was involved in a range of operational deployments, including visits to the Far East, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean, where she supported British interests during the Indonesia-Confrontation conflict. Notably, HMS London represented Great Britain at the American Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 and participated in the Silver Jubilee Fleet Review in 1977. She was also the last RN vessel capable of firing Mark 1 Sea Slug missiles, firing her final 17 missiles in December 1981, and conducted the Navy’s final twin turret broadside that same month. Decommissioned in December 1981, HMS London was sold to Pakistan in 1982, where she was recommissioned as Babur. She served until her decommissioning in 1993 and was scrapped in 1995. Throughout her career, she played a significant role in Cold War naval operations, symbolizing technological advancements and British maritime presence during her active years.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.