RFA Argus (A135)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Purchased: | February 1984 |
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | |
| Commissioned: | 1 June 1988 |
| Decommissioned: | |
| Fate: | Active in service as of 2007. |
| Struck: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 28,030 tonnes |
| Length: | 175.1 m |
| Beam: | 30.4 m |
| Draught: | 8.1 m |
| Propulsion: | Two Lindholmen Pielstick 18 PC2.5V diesels, two shafts; bow-thruster |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Range: | |
| Complement: | 80 RFA 35 RN 137 RN air squadron personnel |
| Armament: | Two 20mm GAM-BO1 Four 7.62mm GPMGs Seagnat chaff launchers |
| Aircraft: | Five spots for Westland Sea Kings, CH-47 Chinooks, Westland Merlins or Westland Lynx; can transport Sea Harrier FA2s |
| Motto: | |
RFA Argus (A135) is an aviation training ship with a secondary role of primary casualty receiving ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Argus was formerly the container ship MV Contender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984. After a four year conversion at Harland and Wolff in Belfast the ship entered RFA service in 1988, replacing RFA Engadine in the aviation training role. Since then, the Argus has proven to be a versatile vessel, serving in many wars. Argus was fitted with a fully functional hospital for the 1991 Gulf crisis, which has since been added to providing a fully functional, 100 bed hospital. It is equipped with the best of equipment: x-ray facilities, CAT scanner, ITU ward etc. Casualties can be quickly transferred from the deck directly into the assessment area. In recent conflicts, the ship's role as a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship (referred to as such rather than a hospital ship as the vessel is armed, thus not meeting the Geneva Convention definition of a hospital ship) has been more prominent than its aviation training duties.
The ship deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 for service in the Gulf War, and also saw service in the Adriatic in 1993 and 1999 supporting British operations in Bosnia and over Kosovo respectively. During this period, Argus operated in part as an LPH. Her unsuitability for this role was a major factor in the commissioning of HMS Ocean. In 2003 Argus was deployed again to the Gulf as part of a 33 ship fleet to support a British amphibious assault of the Al Faw peninsula. Argus operated in its PCRS role.
There are rumours of replacements for Argus being funded by the end of the decade but little solid has come of it. Much of the RFA fleet will need to be replaced over the next several years but few concrete preparations have yet been done to order ships.
[edit] Layout
Being a former container ship, Argus does not have a traditional aircraft carrier layout - the ship's superstructure is located forward, with a long flight deck aft. The ship has a small secondary superstructure approximately 2/3 of the way down the flight deck, containing the ship's exhaust funnel. This is used by small helicopters to simulate landing on the flight deck of a destroyer or frigate.
[edit] Trivia
During a port visit to Liverpool in 2000 the city centre was brought to a halt when a large crane was mistakenly directed to the Argos shop in the town centre.[citation needed]
