Naval Tasks -
Before the end of hostilities many of the major warships
of the Royal Navy reached the Falkland's area, there to
operate in the storms and heavy seas and fogs
of the far South Atlantic as winter approached. Their
tasks were numerous and included denying the surrounding
seas to the Argentine Navy, providing the only air cover
available, landing special forces and carrying out shore
bombardment before and after
the San Carlos landings, escorting the troop and supply
ships and protecting them from attack by aircraft,
submarine and surface ship, and acting as command, control
and communications centres.
Operational Warships -
Soon in operation were the only four big surface
ships left to the Navy -
old carrier "Hermes"
(28,700 tons full load),
new but smaller "Invincible" (19.800 tons) and
assault ships "Fearless" and "Intrepid" (12,100 tons).
"Invincible"-class
carrier,
1986
(photographs Courtesy MOD, Navy)
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Destroyer
HMS
Glasgow
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Half the force of nuclear
fleet submarines -
"Conqueror",
"Courageous" (?),
"Spartan",
"Splendid"
"Valiant"
plus diesel-engined "Onyx".
Even more significantly, most
of the modern destroyers and frigates
also took part. As they carried a confusing diversity of
weapons and suffered heavily (nine out of 23 were sunk
or seriously damaged, and others less so by enemy
action) their main characteristics are summarised. The
weapon systems were :
surface-to-surface missiles
(SSM),
surface-to-air missiles (SAM),
anti-submarine warfare (ASW) including ships torpedo
weapon system (STWS),
main gun(s),
helicopter(s):
DESTROYERS
Type
82 |
"Bristol"
|
7,100
tons full load |
Sea
Dart SAM, Ikara ASW, 1x4.5in, can carry Wasp |
County
class |
"Antrim"
(UXB damage)
"Glamorgan" (Exocet damage) |
6,200
tons |
Exocet
SSM, Seaslug/Sea Cat SAM, 2x4.5in, 1xWessex
Helicopter |
Type
42
|
"Cardiff"
"COVENTRY" (sunk
by
bombs)
"Exeter"
"Glasgow" (UXB damage)
"SHEFFIELD" (sunk by Exocet) |
4,100
tons |
Sea
Dart SAM, STWS ASW, 1x4.5in, 1xLynx helicopter |
FRIGATES
Type
22 |
"Brilliant"
"Broadsword" |
4,000
tons |
Exocet
SSM, Sea Wolf SAM, STWS ASW, 2xLynx helicopters |
Type
21 |
"Active"*
"Alacrity"
"Ambuscade"
"ANTELOPE" (sunk by bombs)
"ARDENT" (sunk by bombs)
"Arrow"
"Avenger" |
3,200
tons |
Exocet
SSM, Sea Cat SAM, STWS ASW, 1x4.5in, 1xWasp* or
Lynx helicopter |
Leander
class |
"Andromeda"*
"Argonaut" (UXB damage)
"Minerva"
"Penelope" |
3,200
tons |
Exocet
SSM, Sea Wolf* or Sea Cat SAM, STWS ASW, 1xLynx
helicopter |
Rothesay
class |
"Plymouth"
(bomb damage)
"Yarmouth" |
2,800
tons |
Sea
Cat SAM, Limbo ASW, 2x4.5in, 1xWasp helicopter |
Other Types -
Apart from "Endurance", other warships taking part
up to the surrender were:
Survey ships: "Hecla",
"Herald" and "Hydra" (2,700 tons, Wasp helicopter) as
ambulance ships,
Fishery protection vessels:
"Dumbarton Castle" and "Leeds Castle" (1,450 tons) in
the role of despatch vessels.
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