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) |
|
 Destroyer
HMS Glasgow |
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.
|
