HMS Antrim (D18) facts for kids
HMS Antrim in 1976
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United Kingdom |
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| Name | HMS Antrim |
| Namesake | County Antrim |
| Ordered | 5 January 1965 |
| Builder | Upper Clyde Shipbuilders |
| Laid down | 20 January 1966 |
| Launched | 19 October 1967 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs Roy Mason, wife of then Minister of Defence (Equipment), Roy Mason |
| Commissioned | 14 July 1970 |
| Decommissioned | 1984 |
| Identification | Pennant number: D18 |
| Honours and awards |
Falklands War |
| Fate | Sold to Chile on 22 June 1984 |
 Chile |
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| Name | Almirante Cochrane |
| Namesake | Thomas Cochrane |
| Acquired | 22 June 1984 |
| Decommissioned | 7 December 2006 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap 11 December 2010 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | County-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 5,440 tonnes (6,850 tonnes full load) |
| Length | 522 ft (159 m) |
| Beam | 53 ft (16 m) |
| Draught | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Propulsion | COSAG (Combined steam and gas) turbines, 2 shafts |
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 1 × Wessex HAS Mk 3 helicopter |
| Aviation facilities | Flight deck and enclosed hangar for embarking one helicopter |
HMS Antrim was a powerful destroyer ship that belonged to the British Royal Navy. It was launched on October 19, 1967. This ship played an important role in the Falklands War. During this conflict, it was the main ship leading the effort to take back South Georgia. Antrim also took part in the first successful anti-submarine operation ever done only by helicopters.
In 1984, the ship was sold to the Chilean Navy. It was then given a new name, Almirante Cochrane.
Contents
About the Ship
Antrim started its service in 1970. It spent its early years sailing in British waters and the Mediterranean Sea. In the mid-1970s, the Royal Navy made a big change to the ship. They removed one of its main gun turrets. In its place, they added four Exocet missile launchers. This made the ship much better at attacking other ships.
After the Exocet missiles were put on, engineers found a problem. Small arms fire could accidentally set off the missiles. To fix this, strong metal plates were added to the outside of the missile containers for safety.
Ship's Adventures
In 1976, Antrim visited Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The ship proudly represented the Royal Navy at the wedding of the King of Sweden.
Falklands War Role
In 1982, Antrim became part of the Royal Navy's special group of ships. This group was sent to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War.
Antrim was the lead ship for an operation called Operation Paraquet. This mission was to take back South Georgia in April 1982. During this mission, Antrim fired about 400 shells at enemy positions.
The ship's helicopter, a Westland Wessex HAS.Mk3, was very important. It rescued 16 SAS soldiers who were stuck on Fortuna Glacier. It also saved the crews of two other rescue helicopters that had crashed. This helicopter also helped find and disable an Argentinian submarine named Santa Fe. This was the first time ever that an anti-submarine operation was successfully carried out only by helicopters.
After the fighting, the commander of the Argentine forces on South Georgia signed the surrender papers. This happened in Antrim's wardroom, which is like a dining and meeting room for officers.
While helping with the main landing at San Carlos Water, Antrim faced danger. Twelve bombs missed the ship by a very small distance. However, one very large bomb, weighing about 1000 pounds (450 kg), hit Antrim. Luckily, it did not explode and no one was hurt. It took ten hours to safely remove the bomb from the ship. Antrim also fired its Sea Slug missile system at an Argentine Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawk plane, but it did not hit the target.
Today, a sign that used to be on Antrim is kept in the Falkland Islands Museum in Stanley.
Antrim was taken out of service by the British Royal Navy in 1984. It was then sold to Chile on June 22, 1984. The Chilean Navy renamed the ship Almirante Cochrane. This new name honored Thomas Cochrane, a famous naval officer who led the Chilean Navy from 1817 to 1822.
In 1994, Almirante Cochrane went through a major upgrade. This was similar to the changes made to its sister ship, Blanco Encalada (which was originally HMS Fife). The old Sea Slug missile launcher was removed. The ship's deck was made longer at the back to make space for a new, bigger helicopter hangar. In 1996, the ship also received the Barak SAM missile system. This new system replaced its older Seacat launchers.
The Chilean Navy stopped using Almirante Cochrane on December 7, 2006. On December 11, 2010, the ship was towed to China to be taken apart for scrap metal.
Images for kids
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Antrim's Wessex helicopter XP142 Humphrey
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Chilean destroyer Almirante Cochrane
