HMS Antelope (F170)

History

The Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom began on April 2, 1982, when members of the former colony invaded a British reserve in the South Pacific. A few days later, the Royal Navy was dispatched to intervene, and the conflict would last more than two months, resulting in a disastrous defeat for the Argentine army. In addition to the British victory, the war's aftermath included the establishment of a democratic government in 1983 to succeed Argentina's military rule, and the complete severance of political ties between the two powers that lasted until 1989 - not to mention the loss of life.

Both sides suffered losses.

Royal Navy Type 21 Frigate

HMS Antelope (F170) was a surface combat frigate of the Royal Navy (RN) in the last years of the Cold War. The ship belongs to the eight powerful "Type 21" groups - "A Frigates" - consisting of HMS Amazon, HMS Antelope, HMS Ambuscade, HMS Arrow, HMS Active, HMS Alacrity, HMS Ardent and HMS Avenger.

The group was ordered from 1969 to 1971 and built from 1969 to 1974. Commissioning took place from 1974 to 1978.

HMS antelope origin

Antelope herself was ordered on 11 May 1970 and saw her keel laid by Vosper Thornycroft on 23 March 1971. She was launched on March 16, 1972, enlisted on June 30, 1975, and officially commissioned on July 16, 1975.

By definition, she is a "patrol frigate" capable of nearshore operations as well as "blue water" service.

While on duty, she fought under the motto "Audax et Vigilans" ("Bold and Vigilant").

Introduction

Her line includes a raised bow section with a single deck gun and turret. The bridge section is placed in the forward part of the fuselage superstructure, which also holds the main mast. An auxiliary mast is located directly aft near the smoke funnel. The profile is gradually lowered to a horizontal flight deck above the stern. Dimensions include a barrel length of 384 feet, a beam of 41.8 feet and a draft of up to 19.5 feet.

Full-load displacement is 3,250 tons.

Air Squadron

The rear flight deck is home to a medium Navy helicopter - this was originally a Westland Wasp but was later upgraded to a Westland Lynx.

Installed power and power

Internally, electricity is provided by a COGOG (gas or combined gas) unit with 2 Rolls-Royce Olympus and 2 Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A gas turbines. The latter is used for cruising, while the former is used for high-speed cruising.

Top speed in ideal conditions is 32 knots and range is 4,000 nautical miles. There are about 177 employees on board.

Armor Kit

Mounted armament is carried on the foredeck by a 1 x 4.5" (114 mm) Mark 8 Series turret deck gun. 2 x 20 mm Oerlikon automatic cannons for anti-aircraft (AA), single "sea" cat ". Quadruple carrier rocket launcher for Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM). The ship also carries 2 triple torpedo tubes to engage enemy submarines from a distance. Unlike her sisters, Antelope has never been equipped with the all-important "Flying Fish" equipped with an anti-ship missile system.

All in all, this warship can be called upon to perform a variety of tasks on the high seas: block airspace, protect strategic locations, Pursue enemy surface ships or submarines, or protect the main fleet.

Falklands War Promise

After the war began in early April 1982, HMS Antelope did not enter theaters until May 21 of that year. Her war career came to an abrupt end when she was targeted (two flights) on May 23 by four Argentine Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers (described in more detail elsewhere on this page). The first wave of Skyhawks largely avoided air defense networks and managed to get a hit from Antelope's starboard 1,000-pound bomb -- however, that round didn't detonate. On the second flight, an Skyhawk cut into the secondary mast, causing damage, while the other attacker was shot down by British fire.

The second bomb penetrated the Antelope's deck, but again failed to explode.

HMS Antelope meets her end

Despite multiple attempts by the Royal Engineers to defuse at least one bomb, the ship went missing when the last (fourth) attempt was made to use small controllable explosives. This detonated the ammunition, creating a troublesome chain reaction for the doomed ship. One engineer died at the scene and another was injured, including the loss of an arm.

When the power went out and the fire spread, it was ordered to abandon the ship.

The antelope detonated at night, presenting a rather dramatic image of the time. The explosion was so large that by the morning her hull was completely shattered - although she was still afloat.

Over time, she broke in two and sank to the bottom of the ocean, ending her service as a registered nurse. Today, her remains are protected.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing