HMS Cardiff (D108)

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HMS Cardiff in Portsmouth, circa 2005
Career (UK) Royal Navy Ensign
Namesake: Welsh capital city of Cardiff
Builder: Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering
Laid down: 6 November 1972
Launched: 22 February 1974
Commissioned: 24 September 1979
Decommissioned: 14 July 2005
Motto: Acris in cardine rerum – Keen in emergency
Honours and
awards:		 2 battle honours (Falklands & Gulf),
Navy News "Ship of the Month" (January 1996),[1]
Freedom of the City of Cardiff[2]
Fate: Awaiting disposal
Notes: Deck code: CF
Badge: HMS Cardiff's crest
General characteristics
Type: Type 42 destroyer
Displacement: 4,000 tons
Length: 125 m (410 ft)
Beam: 14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught: 5.8 m (19 ft)
Propulsion: 2 x COGOG turbines producing 36 MW (48,000 shp), driving 2 shafts
Speed: 30 kn (56 km/h)
Range: 4,000 nmi (7,400 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h)
Complement: 287–301
Armament: 2 x Sea Dart missile launchers
1 x 4.5 inch (114 mm) Mk.8 gun
2 x 20 mm Oerlikon guns
2 x Phalanx close-in weapon system
2 x triple anti-submarine torpedo tubes
NATO Seagnat and DLF3 decoy launchers
Aircraft carried: Lynx HAS.3
For other ships of the same name, see HMS Cardiff.

HMS Cardiff (D108) is a Type 42 destroyer, the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. She was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 22 February 1974.

During her career, Cardiff served in the Falklands War, where she shot down the last Argentine aircraft of the conflict and accepted the surrender of a 700-strong garrison in the settlement of Port Howard. During the 1991 Gulf War, her Lynx helicopter sank two Iraqi minesweepers. She later participated in the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as part of the Royal Navy's constant Armilla Patrol; Cardiff thwarted attempts to smuggle oil out of the country, but was not involved in the actual invasion.

Cardiff was decommissioned in July 2005, having earned two battle honours for service in the Falklands and Gulf wars. She is currently moored in Portsmouth Harbour, next to sister ship HMS Newcastle. Former servicemen have petitioned for her preservation as a museum ship and local tourist attraction at Cardiff, but her fate remains undecided.

Contents

[edit] Construction

The Type 42 destroyers (also known as the Sheffield-class) were made in three batches;[3] Cardiff was built in the first. She cost over £30 million, which was double her original quoted price.[4] Her keel was laid down on 6 November 1972, at Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd in Cumbria. The build was interrupted by a labour shortage at Vickers. To solve this problem, she was towed to Swan Hunter in Tyne and Wear and completed there.[5]

Type 42s were designed as anti-aircraft vessels primarily equipped with the Sea Dart, a surface-to-air missile system capable of hitting targets up to 30 nautical miles (56 km) away. [6] Cardiff’s secondary weapon system was a 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun, capable of firing 21-kilogram (46 lb) shells to a range of 22,000 metres (72,000 ft).[7] After the Falklands War, in which two Type 42s were sunk by enemy aircraft, the entire class was equipped with the Phalanx close-in weapon system,[8] a Gatling cannon that fires 3,000 rounds per minute and is designed to shoot down anti-ship missiles.[9]

[edit] Operational history

[edit] Early career

Cardiff was launched on 22 February 1974 by Lady Caroline Gilmore.[10] Following fitting-out and sea trials, Cardiff commissioned on 24 September 1979 under command of Captain Barry Wilson.[11] During the next 12 months of active service she steamed over 13,000 miles (21,000 km) and undertook various duties. She returned to her place of construction, Tyne and Wear, so that the Swan Hunter crew who fitted her out could exhibit the warship to their families. In the spirit of establishing a firm association, Cardiff visited her namesake city and welcomed more than 7,000 people onboard. Her crew raised over £1,000 for local charities by participating in sponsored bicycle rides and dinghy rows from Portsmouth and Newcastle upon Tyne. BBC Radio Wales based an entire programme on her and she appeared on the BBC and ITV national television channels. In November 1979, Cardiff co-ordinated the search for survivors of the MV Pool Fisher, which sank off the Isle of Wight with the loss of most of her crew.[11]

In 1980, she attended the annual Navy Days event at Portsmouth and Portland Harbour, receiving a total of 17,300 visitors. In October of the same year, she ventured abroad for the first time on a visit to Ghent, Belgium. She followed this with a fortnight of Sea Dart exercises on a range off Aberporth, in South Wales. Whilst in the region, the destroyer attended celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of Cardiff's city status.[11]

[edit] Falklands War (1982)

On 2 April 1982, the disputed British overseas territory of the Falkland Islands was invaded by neighbouring Argentina. The United Kingdom, nearly 8,000 miles (13,000 km) away, assembled and dispatched a naval task force, comprising aircraft carriers, submarines and approximately 7,000 troops, to recapture the islands. The conflict ended in June with the surrender of the Argentine forces.

Just over a month before the start of the war, Cardiff, under the command of Captain Michael Harris,[12] had begun a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf with the Armilla Patrol. Cardiff had relieved her sister ship and class lead HMS Sheffield of this posting,[13] but was herself redeployed to the Falklands effort on 23 April. She sailed alone to Gibraltar[13] and rendezvoused on 14 May with the Bristol Group of British warships already heading south to the islands.[14]

Four SAS troopers rendezvous with Cardiff via airdrop, en route to the islands
Four SAS troopers rendezvous with Cardiff via airdrop, en route to the islands

During the journey, Cardiff’s crew performed various training exercises, including defence against air attack (involving simulation runs by British Harrier and Jaguar aircraft), nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and Exocet anti-ship missiles.[15] On 22 May, an Argentine reconnaissance Boeing 707, no. TC-92 of the Argentine Air Force's Grupo 1, De Transporte Aereo Escuadron II (English: 2nd Air Transport Squadron, Group 1), was fired on by Cardiff.[16] The aircraft was detected while shadowing the Bristol Group, and Cardiff was ordered to drop back and engage.[16][17] The ship fired two Sea Darts at the aircraft at 11:40 (local time) from maximum range; the first fell short and second missed[16] due to evasive manoeuvres taken by the aircraft's crew.[18] After the attack, TC-92 dropped below radar level and returned to El Palomar.[18] On 25 May, Cardiff was tasked with the recovery of four Special Air Service (SAS) troopers, who had parachuted from a C-130 Hercules passing over the destroyer.[15]

The Bristol Group met up with the main task force on 26 May.[19] Cardiff’s arrival allowed the damaged HMS Glasgow to return to the United Kingdom for repairs.[20][21] Cardiff’s primary role was to form part of the anti-aircraft warfare picket, protecting British ships from air attack and attempting to ambush Argentine aircraft that were re-supplying Port Stanley Airport.[22][23] She was also required to fire at enemy positions on the islands with her 4.5-inch gun. In one engagement she fired 277 high-explosive rounds,[15] although later problems with the gun prevented continual use.[24]

Shortly after arrival, she was involved in the final Exocet raid against HMS Invincible.[15] In the early hours of 6 June, Cardiff shot down a friendly Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter (no. XX377 of 656 Squadron) over Pleasant Peak, killing all four occupants.[25] The factors contributing to the incident were a lack of "Identification Friend or Foe" transmitter on the helicopter, and poor communication between the army and navy.[26][27] The number "205" was later painted at the crash site (51°47′01″S 58°28′04″W / -51.783600, -58.467786) as a memorial, the significance being that the helicopter's two passengers were from 205 Signal Squadron. Approximately an hour after the shootdown, Cardiff spotted four landing craft carrying troops from the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards.[13] Having been told there were no other British forces in the area, Cardiff's crew assumed they were Argentine, and fired illuminating star shells over them in preparation to attack. When the Guards saw the star shells and realised Cardiff’s intentions, they exchanged signals with the ship via Aldis lamp, avoiding another "blue on blue" incident.[28]

Lt Clayton practising search and rescue prior to the war
Lt Clayton practising search and rescue prior to the war

On the morning of 13 June, two Argentine Dagger aircraft attacked Cardiff’s Lynx helicopter, no. 335 of 815 NAS, while it was searching in the Falkland Sound area. Poor weather had forced the Argentine craft to abandon their original mission of bombing Mount Longdon, and the third Dagger of their formation had suffered a mechanical failure and returned to base.[29] The Lynx began evasive manoeuvres and dodged the attacks; the pilot, Lieutenant Clayton, was mentioned in despatches for his efforts.[30] Later that day, Cardiff shot down what would prove to be the last Argentine aircraft lost during the war,[13][31] Canberra bomber B-108 of Grupo de Bombardeo 2 (English: Bombing Group 2).[32] The pilot, Captain Pastrán, survived but the navigator,[22] Captain Casado, was killed.[29] Argentina surrendered on 14 June, and Cardiff was required to accept the surrender of a 700-strong Argentine garrison in the settlement of Port Howard on West Falkland a day later.[15] Members of Cardiff’s crew were used to man a captured Argentine patrol boat, renamed HMS Tiger Bay, in Port Stanley. Cardiff spent the rest of June acting as the Landing Area Air Warfare Controller (LAAWC) around San Carlos.[15]

Over the course of the war, Cardiff fired nine Sea Dart missiles and one Mk 46 torpedo.[15] She returned to the United Kingdom on 28 July 1982, having left the Falklands three weeks earlier along with HMS Exeter and HMS Yarmouth.[13] Captain Michael Harris handed over command on 24 August 1982, after the annual maintenance period.[15] Following the war, all Type 42 destroyers were fitted with Oerlikon 30 mm twin cannons port and starboard, for protection against airborne threats.[33] These were later replaced by the Phalanx close-in weapon system.[8]

[edit] Gulf War (1990–91)

When Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Kuwait on 2 August 1990, British Secretary of State for Defence Tom King soon announced that the UK military contribution to the region was to be increased.[34] A coalition of nations was formed, and a combined naval force entered the Persian Gulf and sailed north, neutralising the Iraqi Navy as it went, and then began conducting naval gunfire support and mine counter-measure missions in preparation for the main amphibious landing force.[34]

In September 1990, HM Ships Cardiff, Brazen and London were formed into Group X-ray and sailed to the Gulf to relieve Armilla Group Whiskey, which consisted of HM Ships Battleaxe, Jupiter and York.[34] Cardiff and Gloucester were to form part of the air defence barrier protecting three United States aircraft carriers: Midway, Ranger and Theodore Roosevelt.[34] Cardiff had other responsibilities, including surface surveillance[34] and boarding operations, to maintain the security around the task force.[35]

Cardiff’s Lynx helicopter, no. 335, with a Sea Skua missile
Cardiff’s Lynx helicopter, no. 335, with a Sea Skua missile

Royal Navy Lynxes worked in combination with US Seahawks during the Gulf War. The American helicopters lacked an effective anti-ship missile, but had superior surveillance capability compared to the British Lynx. They would locate hostile boats for the British helicopters, which would then attack the target with its Sea Skua missiles.[36] In total, Lynx helicopters flew nearly 600 sorties during the Gulf War,[34] while their crews maintained flying rates three times their norm.[37]

Cardiff’s Lynx helicopter, no. 335 of 815 NAS,[38] saw more of the combat in the Gulf War than Cardiff actually did. On 24 January 1991, no. 335 spotted three Iraqi minesweepers off Qaruh Island, attacked, and sank two.[39] Later that day, the island was captured by coalition forces, becoming the first Kuwaiti territory to be liberated. Five days later, with Lynxes from Gloucester and Brazen, no. 335 attacked invading Iraqi vessels en-route to the Battle of Khafji.[34] Cardiff and her group were relieved in late January by Group Yankee, comprising HM Ships Brave, Brilliant, Exeter and Manchester.[34]

[edit] Post Gulf War

After the Gulf War, Cardiff’s assignments included a deployment with the Standing Naval Force Mediterranean, a post Cold War NATO immediate reaction force in the Mediterranean, and counter-narcotics patrols in the West Indies, during which she also assisted with relief tasks on the island of Eleuthera in the wake of Hurricane Andrew. Cardiff later returned to the Gulf for seven months.[1]

On 14 October 1994, in response to renewed Iraqi deployment of troops near the Kuwaiti border, the US-led Operation Vigilant Warrior began.[40] The operation was designed to deter Saddam's "sabre-rattling"[40] by sending large amounts of allied military forces to Kuwait; HM Ships Cornwall and Cardiff were the UK contribution.[41] The operation ended on 21 December 1994, when Saddam pulled back his forces.[40]

Personnel from Cardiff guard the crew of an Iraqi oil tanker during her last Armilla Patrol, in late 2002.
Personnel from Cardiff guard the crew of an Iraqi oil tanker during her last Armilla Patrol, in late 2002.

Upon her return to the UK from Operation Vigilant Warrior, Cardiff participated in the 1995 NATO exercise "Strong Resolve", a training exercise conducted every four years in dual crisis management. The ship next underwent Operational Sea Training (OST) at Portland, in preparation for assuming the duty of Fleet Ready Escort, which required a ship to be available to deploy anywhere in the world at short notice. After completing OST, she attended the 50th VE Day anniversary in Copenhagen and Oslo and provided navigational sea training for frigate and destroyer navigating officer candidates. A visit to her namesake city of Cardiff for VJ Day celebrations followed, after which she sailed to Plymouth for a trials and weapon training programme. She then took part in Operation Bright Star, a multi-national exercise conducted every two years in Egypt. In November, Cardiff became the first Royal Navy ship to enter the Lebanese capital of Beirut in 27 years, spurring the creation of the Beirut Phoenicians Rugby Club,[42] followed by visits to Tunisia and Gibraltar.[1]

In 2000, as part of the Royal Navy's Atlantic Patrol Task North, Cardiff spent six months in the Caribbean with RFA Black Rover.[43] They provided relief aid to the island of Caye Caulker, near Belize, in the wake of Hurricane Keith. In addition to clearing routes, distributing supplies, and making buildings and electrical cables safe, Cardiff’s surgeon and medical team monitored sanitation.[44]

Cardiff conducted her last Armilla Patrol in early 2003. During her time in the Persian Gulf, Cardiff prevented more than £2 million of illegal cargo from being smuggled out of Iraq, inspected 178 vessels, and seized more than 25,000 tonnes of oil. The destroyer was relieved by HMS Richmond before the beginning of the Iraq War and returned to Portsmouth on 4 April 2003.[45] In late 2003, the ship was involved in the annual Sea Days demonstration exercise,[46] and in October was used for tests of QinetiQ's Maritime Tactical Network.[47]

In 2005, she participated in the Trafalgar 200 International Fleet Review, just two weeks before she was decommissioned.[48] In this post Gulf War period, the Royal Navy's first female chaplain also served onboard.[49]

Cardiff 's starboard quarter (stern) in 2007, her name rusted
Cardiff 's starboard quarter (stern) in 2007, her name rusted

[edit] Decommissioning and fate

Cardiff was originally to be replaced in 2009 by HMS Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's next generation Type 45 destroyers.[50] However, it was announced in July 2004 that she would be one of a number of ships withdrawn from service early, in accordance with the "Delivering Security in a Changing World" whitepaper on the British military.[51]

Cardiff was decommissioned on 14 July 2005, after making a final visit to her namesake city, where members of the public were allowed on board.[2] She now resides in Portsmouth Harbour (50°49′07″N 1°07′50″W / 50.818486, -1.130644) alongside sister ship HMS Newcastle, awaiting a decision as to her fate. Her bell was removed and is on display in Cardiff city hall.[52] Calls for the conversion of the ship into a Cardiff tourist attraction have been made by a Welsh Assembly Member and former naval servicemen.[53][54] HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, has been announced as the next Royal Navy ship to be affiliated with the city of Cardiff.[55]

[edit] See also

Royal Navy Portal

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Navy News - Ships of the Royal Navy - HMS Cardiff. Navy News. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  2. ^ a b HMS Cardiff's final visit to city. BBC News (2005-07-06). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  3. ^ Type 42 Sheffield class. MiltaryToday. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  4. ^ Aldrich, Richard James (1994). Intelligence, Defence, and Diplomacy: British Policy in the Post-War World. Taylor & Francis, p. 119. ISBN 0714641405. Retrieved on 2008-03-10. 
  5. ^ Daniel, R.J (2003). The End of an Era. Periscope Publishing Ltd, p. 216. ISBN 1-904381-18-9. Retrieved on 2008-03-10. 
  6. ^ Sea Dart. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
  7. ^ 114 mm (4.5 inch) Gun. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  8. ^ a b Type 42 destroyer. Haze gray and underway website. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  9. ^ Pike, John (2003-01-09). MK 15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS). Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  10. ^ Visiting British Naval Ships British High Commission, Accra. Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  11. ^ a b c Navy News - The Falklands Conflict - Fact Card - HMS Cardiff. Navy News. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
  12. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49194, page 16121, 13 December 1982. Retrieved on 2008-05-01.
  13. ^ a b c d e Deployment Diary. HMS Cardiff—The 1982 Ship's Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
  14. ^ Task Force Departures from Monday 10th May. Naval History Net. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Report of Proceedings. HMS Cardiff—The 1982 Ship's Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
  16. ^ a b c Freedman 2005, p. 473.
  17. ^ Navy News - The Falklands Conflict - 22nd May 1982. Navy News (July 1982). Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
  18. ^ a b Malvinas 20 Anos - Testimonios (Spanish). Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
  19. ^ Freedman (2005), p. 55
  20. ^ Navy News - The Falklands Conflict - 12th May 1982 - Glasgow's Day of Victory. Navy News (July 1982). Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
  21. ^ Black Buck, Victor, Vulcan, Engadine, Fort Grange in British Task Force Movements. Naval History Net. Retrieved on 2008-05-05.
  22. ^ a b Falklands 25 - On this Day - June 14th. Royal Naval Association Number 10 Area web site. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
  23. ^ Navy News - The Falklands Conflict - 2nd June 1982. Navy News. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
  24. ^ Fieldgate, Barrie (2007). The Captain's Steward: Falklands, 1982. Melrose Press, p. 222. ISBN 1905226462. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  25. ^ Stanley, Mount Kent, Mount Longdon, Top Malo House in Falkland Area Operations - Falklands War 1982. Naval History Net. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  26. ^ Bolia, Robert S. "The Falklands War: The Bluff Cove Disaster" (PDF). Military Review (November–December 2004): pp. 66–72. 
  27. ^ Masakowski, Yvonne; Cook, Malcolm; Noyes, Jan (2007). Decision-making in Complex Environments. Ashgate Publishing, p. 197. ISBN 0-7546-4950-4. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  28. ^ Anderson, Duncan (2002). The Falklands War 1982 (Essential Histories). UK: Osprey Publishing, p. 58. ISBN 1-84176-422-1. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  29. ^ a b 13 de Junio (Spanish). Argentine Air Force. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
  30. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49134, page 12, 1982-10-08. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  31. ^ Morgan, David (2007). Hostile Skies. London: Phoenix, p. 285. ISBN 978-0-7538-2199-2. 
  32. ^ BAC MK-62 Canberra (Spanish). Argentine Air Force. Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
  33. ^ Type 42. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2008-04-05.
  34. ^ a b c d e f g h Hine 1991, pp. 39, 43.
  35. ^ Gimblett, Richard H.; Morin, Jean (1997). Operation Friction, 1990-1991: Canadian Forces in the Persian Gulf. Toronto: Dundurn Press, p. 140. ISBN 1-55002-256-3. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 
  36. ^ Pokrant, Marvin (1999). Desert Storm at sea: what the Navy really did. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, p. 58. ISBN 0-313-31024-6. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 
  37. ^ Finlan, Alistair (2004). Royal Navy in the Falklands and the Gulf War: Culture and Strategy. London: Frank Cass, p. 151. ISBN 0-7146-5479-5. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 
  38. ^ Chant, Christopher (2001). Air War in the Gulf 1991 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 27). Osprey Aviation, p. 90. ISBN 1-84176-295-4. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. 
  39. ^ Lawrence, Richard Russell (2003). The Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Naval Battles. Carroll & Graf, p. 637. ISBN Carroll & Graf. Retrieved on 2008-04-27. 
  40. ^ a b c Pike 2005.
  41. ^ Larson, Eric V. (2003). Interoperability of U. S. and NATO Allied Air Forces: Supporting Data and Case Studies. Santa Monica, Calif: Rand, p. 61. ISBN 0-8330-3287-9. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. 
  42. ^ Team History. www.rugbylebanon.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
  43. ^ Cardiff—Back from sunnier climes. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  44. ^ HMS Cardiff and RFA Black Rover assist in wake of Hurricane Keith. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  45. ^ HMS Cardiff returns from Gulf patrols. Royal Navy. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  46. ^ Scott, Richard. "Sea Days 2003", Jane's Navy International, Jane's Information Group, 2003-11-01. 
  47. ^ Ebbutt, Giles. "QinetiQ tests Maritime Tactical Network", Jane's Navy International, Jane's Information Group, 2004-09-01. 
  48. ^ Trafalgar 200 - Media Information. web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2005-11-15. Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
  49. ^ Royal Navy's first female Chaplain retires. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved on 2008-03-11.
  50. ^ House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 Mar 2000 (pt 3). Hansard. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  51. ^ Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities (Cm 6269) (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  52. ^ "Bell is reminder of city’s own ship" (PDF) (December 2005). Capital Times (Issue 70): p. 9. “A part of HMS Cardiff, the warship which was decommissioned earlier this year, has a permanent place in its home city.” 
  53. ^ Save HMS Cardiff for the city - News Story - Conservative Party. Conservative Party. Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
  54. ^ Call for Cardiff home for warship. BBC News (2005-06-29). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  55. ^ Navy destroyer linked to Cardiff. BBC News (2007-05-24). Retrieved on 2008-03-09.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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List of destroyers of the Royal Navy

Coordinates: 50°49′6.55″N, 1°7′50.32″W