Two oil-fired boilers fed steam at 550 pounds per square inch (3,800 kPa) and 850 °F (454 °C) to a pair of double reduction geared steam turbines that in turn drove two propeller shafts, with the machinery rated at 30,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW), giving a speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph).

A single Sea Cat surface-to-air missile launcher was fitted aft (on the Helicopter hangar roof), while two Oerlikon 20mm cannon provided close-in defence.

On 1 June 1970, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Ennerdale, on her way to refuel Andromeda, struck an uncharted pinnacle of rock off the Seychelles, and sank.

Andromeda was the first ship on the scene of the accident, and helped to rescue the crew of Ennerdale, the wreck of which was later destroyed by explosives.

The blazing Pacific Glory ran aground on 24 October, and Andromeda took part in the large scale clean up operation.

[19][21][22] On 9 October 1970, Andromeda and her helicopter went to the aid of the tug RMAS Samsonia which had suffered a mechanical breakdown when towing the landing ship Stalker in bad weather through the Pentland Firth.

[19] The following year, Andromeda had to evacuate British civilians from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus after Turkey had invaded it.

[19] In 1975, during the Third Cod War, the Icelandic gunboat Týr rammed Andromeda on 28 December, damaging her guardrail and a chaff launcher.

Both warships were damaged, with Andromeda receiving a 12 feet (3.7 m) dent as a result of this collision, and had to return to Devonport for repairs.

[28] Between November 1977 and December 1980, Andromeda underwent modernisation, including the addition of Exocet and Sea Wolf missiles at Devonport dockyard.

Ports visited included Djibouti, Cochin, Singapore, Mombasa, Mauritius, Reunion and the Maldives Falklands 1984 Armilla deployment 1985.