Naval History Homepage and Site Search

 

 

Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982

BRITISH AND ARGENTINE UNITS TAKING PART (Parts 7-16)

Part 9. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS

 HMS Hermes

on to 10. Fleet Air Arm Squadrons

 
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.

 
 

on to 10. Fleet Air Arm Squadrons
or back to
Falklands War HomePage

revised 31/5/13