HMS Sheffield (D80)

HMS Sheffield (D80) History

The Royal Navy (RN) Type 42 guided missile destroyer was the premier surface fighter of the late Cold War, appearing in the 16th class. These follow the Type 82 launched in 1973, which was just one of eight ships planned. The Type 42 was built in three batches and entered service in 1975. The group fought on the front lines until 2013, when they were themselves replaced by Type 45 stealth frigates (No. 6 and detailed elsewhere). side?

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HMS Sheffield Basics

HMS Sheffield (D80) is seen as one of the Type 42s built. She was laid by Vickers Shipbuilding on 15 January 1970 and launched on 10 June 1971.

On February 16, 1975, it was officially commissioned under the flag "D80" and the motto "Deo Adjuvante Labor Proficit" ("With God's help our work is successful"). Unfortunately, during her construction plan, an explosion killed two dockers and caused extensive damage to the hull, delaying her commissioning somewhat.

Sheffield Class

HMS Sheffield was the lead ship of the Type 42 and also led the first of three batches (hence the Type 42 is sometimes referred to as the "Sheffield class"). At least two ships in Lot 3 were built for the Argentine Navy (ARA Hercules D1 ARA Santisima D2) - an early British enemy in the Falklands War (1982).

Sheffield Walking Tour

The ship followed the line established by the Type 42 design criteria: the main battery and turrets were placed above the forecastle, and the dual rocket launchers were located forward and aft of the bridge section. The bridge is integrated with the front superstructure, and various masts adorn its roof.

Midships are a combination of an enclosed smoke funnel and an auxiliary mast directly aft. The special design of the pipes (with extra deflectors) has led to the name "Mickey Mouse ears" being associated with their appearance. The aft superstructure is then located forward of the aft helicopter flight deck equipped with hangar facilities to support a Westland Lynx medium (or similar) Navy helicopter.

The helicopter can also be equipped with anti-ship/anti-submarine equipment and weapons. A pair of boats were transported for special purposes. 287 aircrews were upgraded, including a dedicated air wing.

Installed power

Power comes from a gas or combined gas unit (COGOG), where 2 Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B high-speed gas turbines are coupled to 2 Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C gas turbines rated at 50,000 hp and are 5,340 horsepower. The former is used for high-speed cruise and the latter is used for general cruise.

These drive the current to 2 x waves. Under ideal conditions, the maximum speed can reach 30 knots and the range is 4200 nautical miles.

Weapons installed

The main purpose of her design is airspace blockade, which means that warships carry a lot of radar and sensor equipment, as well as sonar on board. The matching dual rocket launcher is the GWS-30 "Sea Dart" and has undergone 22 reloads. Among the more conventional weapons are the 4.5-inch Mark 8 series guns on the foredeck.

2 x triple torpedo tubes provide the ship with countermeasures against enemy submarines within range.

The Falklands War of 1982

HMS Sheffield played a vital role in sea trials of the Sea Dart missile weapon and was in use in this fashion until around 1980. On April 2, 1982, the Argentine military-led government dispatched troops to seize the Falkland Islands from the British, triggering the Falkland Islands War.

The war, which lasted two months and a week, saw a decisive British military victory that prompted the Argentines to replace the junta with a democratically elected junta in 1983. In addition, the two countries severed political ties in 1989. /p]

The Falklands War was a massive British naval enterprise that saw troops amassed in England and Gibraltar and set sail for an invasion of the mid-Atlantic. From there the force moved to the South Atlantic to operate in and around the Falkland Islands region off the coast of Argentina.

While the British victory was resounding, it also came at a price: 255 of Argentina's 649 dead. The Royal Navy lost two frigates, two destroyers and three smaller ships. 24 helicopters, 10 fighter jets and one bomber were part of the casualty count before the end.

End of HMS Sheffield

However, demand was high and HMS Sheffield was pushed into action along with other RN warships. On 4 May 1982, while serving as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) picket for the British task force, she was hit by one of two Flying Fish anti-ship missiles fired by an Argentine Air Force Dassault fighter-bomber (see elsewhere) website).

This hit hit her amidships, while the second fell harmlessly into the water near her port side. The damage caused the loss of critical operational components and began to spread - in addition to the 20 crew members killed.

The ship survived six days after the attack and was towed by HMS Yarmouth when it was allowed to sink on May 10.

A retrospective review of the situation revealed many of the mistakes the British made in the attack and subsequent sinking of one of their warships. Issues range from a lack of a complete ECM (electronic countermeasures) suite and operator/crew training to operator/officer-level responses and failures of available technology.

Specification

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Performance

Performance

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Wing