HMS Coventry (D118)

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See HMS Coventry for other ships to bear the name.

Career

Ordered:
Laid down:	29 January 1973
Launched:	21 June 1974
Commissioned:	20 October 1978
Fate:	Sunk by Argentine aircraft on 25 May 1982.
General Characteristics
Displacement:	4,820 tonnes
Length:	125 m (410 ft)
Beam:	14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught:	5.8 m
Propulsion:	COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) turbines, 2 shafts 2 turbines producing 36 MW
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	287
Armament:	Sea Dart Surface-to-Air Missiles 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mk.8 gun
Aircraft:	Westland Lynx HAS.Mk.1/2
Motto:

HMS Coventry (D118) was a Type 42 (Sheffield Class) destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Cammell Laird and Company, Limited, at Birkenhead on 29 January 1973, launched on 21 June 1974 and commissioned on 20 October 1978.

Coventry participated in the Falklands War in 1982 where she became the first Royal Navy warship to fire the Sea Dart SAM (Surface-to-Air Missiles) and Sea Skua (Air-to-Surface) Anti-ship missiles in action; when its onboard Westland Lynx HAS.Mk.2 fired a Sea Skua missile on 3 May, and when the ship itself fired a Sea Dart missile on 9 May destroying an Argentine Aérospatiale Puma SA330L helicopter.

Coventry was accompanied by HMS Broadsword off the Falkland Islands on 25 May 1982 when they came under attack by four Argentine A-4 Skyhawks. Despite managing to shoot down two attackers earlier in the day, on this occasion the enemy aircraft flew so low that Coventry's targeting radar could not distinguish between them and the land and failed to lock on. Broadsword attempted to target the first pair of attackers with her Sea Wolf missile system, but her own tracking system locked down during the attack and could not be reset before the aircraft released their bombs. Of the four bombs released, one struck Broadsword's flight deck and - though it failed to explode - destroyed the ship's Lynx helicopter. Though she was still unable to gain a lock on the second pair of Skyhawks, Coventry launched a Sea Dart in an attempt to distract them and turned to starboard in order to reduce her profile. On Broadsword the Sea Wolf system had been reset and had successfully acquired the attacking aircraft, but was again unable to deploy when Coventry's turn took her directly into the line of fire. Coventry was struck by three of the four bombs released, capsized, and sank within 30 minutes, with the loss of 19 of her crew.

[edit] Roll of Honour

The 19 sailors killed in the sinking of HMS Coventry.

Marine Engineering Mechanic Frank O. Armes
Chief Weapons Engineering Artificer John D. L. Caddy
Marine Engineering Artificer Paul B. Callus
Weapons Engineering Mechanic John K. Dobson
Petty Officer Michael G. Fowler
Weapons Engineering Mechanic Ian P. Hall
Lieutenant Rodney R. Heath
Laundryman Kye Ben Kwo
Weapons Engineering Artificer David J. A. Ozbirn
Lieutenant Commander Glen S. Robinson-Moltke
Leading Radio Operator Bernard J. Still
Marine Engineering Artificer Geoffrey L. J. Stockwell
Weapons Engineering Artificer David A. Strickland
Able Seaman Adrian D. Sunderland
Marine Engineering Mechanician Stephen Tonkin
Cook Ian Turnbull
Weapons Engineering Artificer Philip P. White
Weapons Engineering Artificer Ian R. Williams

Additionally, one member of the crew died from a tumour a year later - caused by skull fracture sustained in the attack:

Marine Engineering Mechanic Paul T. Mills

A memorial cross was erected on Pebble Island after the war. The wrecksite is a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act. A memorial website also exists: