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HMS Ardent (F184)

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{| border="1" align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="300" |colspan="2"|Image:HMS Ardent (F184).jpg 300px|HMS Ardent |- !style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Career !style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|image:RN-White-Ensign.svg 60px|RN Ensign |- |Ordered: | |- |Laid down: |26 February 1974 |- |Launched: |9 May 1975 |- |Commissioned: |13 October 1977 |- |Fate: |Sunk by Argentine aircraft on 22 May 1982. |- |Struck: | |- !colspan="2" align="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|General Characteristics |- |Displacement: |3,250 tons full load |- |Length: |384 ft (117 m) |- |Beam: |41 ft 9 in (12.7 m) |- |Draught: |19 ft 6 in (5.9 m) |- |Propulsion: |Two Rolls-Royce plc Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B Olympus gas turbines, plus two Rolls-Royce RM1A Tyne gas turbines for cruising |- |Speed: |32 knots (59 km/h) |- |Range: |4,000 nautical miles at 17 knots (7,400 km at 31 km/h), 1,200 nautical miles at 30 knots (2,220 km at 56 km/h) |- |Complement: |177 |- |Armament: |One Mk8 4.5 inch (110 mm) gun
Two 20 mm Oerlikon guns
Four SeaCat SAMs
Two Corvus chaff launchers
One Type 182 towed decoy |- |Aircraft: |One Westland Wasp when built, refitted later for one Westland Lynx |- |Motto: |Through fire and water |} '''HMS ''Ardent'' (F184)''' was a Royal Navy type 21 frigate. She was completed with Exocet launchers in 'B' position. ''Ardent'' participated in the Falklands War. On May 21, 1982, whilst lying in Falkland Sound and supporting Royal Marines, ''Ardent'' was attacked by Argentines A-4 Skyhawks and struck by nine 500lb bombs, three of which exploded. The first two blew up in the hangar, destroying the Westland Lynx helicopter and blowing the Sea Cat launcher 80 ft (24 m) into the air before it crashed back down onto the flight deck. The third smashed the aft Auxiliary Machinery Room. Power was lost to the ship and the 4.5 inch (110 mm) gun was put out of action. ''Ardent''s hangar was a shambles and there were fires spreading in her stern. However, the ship could still make 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h). Minutes after the first attack three IAI Dagger aircraft attacked her, but scored no hits. Twenty minutes later, as ''Ardent'' was sailing for San Carlos Water, three more Skyhawks scored two more hits on the ship's port stern. The fires now spread out of control and ''Ardent'' began to slow. Three Mirage (aircraft) Mirage aircraft attacked her, but again scored no hits. ''Ardent'' stopped in the shallow waters of Grantham Sound, the fires in her stern out of control. The Rothesay class frigate ''Rothersay''-class HMS Yarmouth (F101) ''Yarmouth'' then came alongside to take off survivors. ''Ardent'' continued to burn throughout the night, accompanied by the occasional explosion, until she sank the following morning, with only her foremast remaining above the water. The last man to leave was her Commander, Alan West Cdr. Alan West, who was subsequently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (UK) Distinguished Service Cross, and served as First Sea Lord from 2002-2006. Within days navy divers removed her light AA guns for fitting to other ships and her foremast was used as Navigational warning and datum by her sister ship HMS Arrow (F173) ''Arrow'' whilst she bombarded Goose Green. 22 men died when ''Ardent'' sank.

Official Argentine version
According, Argentine Air Force official web site [http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/objetivos_navales.html], ''Ardent'' received these attacks * 14:00 by A-4B Skyhawks of 5th Air Group, one 1000lb bomb explode on the stern. * 14:40 by IAI Nesher IAI Daggers of 6th Air Group, 2 other 1000lb bombs on the stern. * 15:01 by Argentine Navy A-4Q Skyhawks of 3rd Fighter and Attack Sqd. Althougth the Air Force web site mention 1000lb bombs, Navy aircraft used 500lb during the conflict.

See also
*HMS Ardent HMS ''Ardent'' for other ships of the same name.

External link

- HMS ''Ardent'' Association {{Type 21 frigate}} Category:Type 21 frigates Ardent Category:Falklands War de:HMS Ardent (F184)

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