XRF Argus (A135)
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| history | |
|---|---|
| Commissioned: | |
| Keel laying: | |
| Launch: | 1981 |
| Commissioning: | 1988 |
| Decommissioning: | 2024 (planned) |
| Home port: | Falmouth |
| Data | |
| Displacement: | 28,030 tons |
| Length: | 175.1 m |
| Width: | 30.4 m |
| Draft: | 8.1 m |
| Drive: | 2 Lindholman Pielstick 18 PC2.5V diesel generators |
| Top speed: | 18 knots |
| Range: | |
| Crew: | 115 seafarers, 137 aircrew |
| Armament: | 2 x 20 mm guns, 4 × 7.62 mm machine guns, Seagnat- chaffs |
| Airplanes: | 9 × helicopters |
The RFA Argus is a training and auxiliary aircraft carrier of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary and thus a support ship of the British Navy . She also serves as a hospital and transport ship. The name of the ship refers to the ever-vigilant giant Argus from Greek mythology.
history
The Argus was launched in 1981 as a civilian container ship under the name MV Contender Bezant at the Italian shipyard CNR Breda . In 1982 she was requisitioned as part of the Falklands War for the transport of soldiers and material to the Falkland Islands . In 1984 the Ministry of Defense bought the ship to replace the light helicopter carrier RFA Engadine . At Harland & Wolff in Belfast, the ship was rebuilt for £ 50 million according to its new role and put into service in 1988 under the new name RFA Argus . Due to its classification as a support ship, it is formally under the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and not the Royal Navy.
In 1990 the ship was provisionally equipped with an infirmary to ensure first aid for wounded soldiers during the Second Gulf War . This was later expanded into a fully equipped hospital with 100 beds. In 1993 the Argus was used in the context of the Balkan conflict and in 1999 during the Kosovo war in the Adriatic . In 2001 the ship underwent extensive modernization, during which the infirmary was expanded in particular. In 2003 she took part as part of the British Naval Association in the Iraq war , where she operated as a hospital ship.
The original plan was to replace the Argus in 2008 with a successor. However, due to a lack of budget and disputes over the type of new building, it was decided to continue using it until 2020. For this purpose, it was subjected to another extensive modernization from October 2006 to May 2007.
Tasks and equipment
For its actual main task as an auxiliary aircraft carrier and ship for pilot training, the Argus has a 120 meter long, but not continuous, flight deck. This offers space for five helicopters, another four can be stowed in a hangar below the flight deck. Maintenance and repair facilities are available there for almost all types of helicopter in the British armed forces. Only the heavy transport helicopter CH-47 Chinook can only be used on the flight deck, as it is too big for the two lifts that connect the flight deck with the hangar. The Argus is also equipped for the transport and use of the Harrier fighter aircraft . Due to the short flight deck and the lack of a ski jump , as the aircraft carriers of the Invincible class had, they could only take off with very light armament.
The second function of the Argus is to care for the wounded. It has a fully equipped hospital with 100 beds, 30 of which are intensive care beds, and three operating theaters. Due to its armament, paintwork and use as an auxiliary aircraft carrier, the Argus does not meet the requirements of the Geneva Convention for a hospital ship and is therefore officially declared as a ship for first aid for the wounded , although its equipment corresponds to that of a hospital ship.
The Argus is also used for the transport of troops and material. There are several decks adjacent to the hangar to accommodate heavy vehicles. These can enter the ship directly through a gate on the starboard side.
The main tasks of the ship today are pilot training, the transport of troops and material as well as the care of the wounded, while it is de facto no longer used as an auxiliary aircraft carrier. During its mission in the Adriatic in 1993, the ship's weaknesses in this area became clear. Due to the limited flight deck, only one helicopter can take off or land at a time. Harrier fighter planes can only take off vertically, which significantly reduces their range due to the high fuel consumption and only allows very light armament. Another point of criticism was the small hangar that only offers space for four helicopters. Because of these weaknesses, the Royal Navy decided to build the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean , which took over this function of the Argus from 1998 until its decommissioning in 2018 .
