Фрегат HMS Argonaut: Боевой путь и участие в Фолклендской войне.

1967 Type 12I or Leander class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Argonaut (F56) was a that served with the Royal Navy from 1967 to 1993. She took part in the Falklands War in 1982, sustaining damage and casualties in action.

The ship was built at Hebburn, in Tyneside, by the Hawthorn Leslie and Company shipyard in the mid 1960s. She was launched on 8 February 1966, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 17 August 1967.

On 2 April 1982 the Falkland Islands were invaded by the armed forces of Argentina. At the direction of Her Majesty's Government, an advanced group of Royal Naval vessels began to steam towards Ascension Island. On 19 April 1982 Argonaut, along with and two Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships RFA Regent and RFA Plumleaf headed for Ascension Island, arriving on 29 April 1982. On 6 May 1982 the Argonaut Group departed the island heading South for the Falklands, joining the Amphibious Group centred on and , on 16 May, and the Carrier Battle Group on 18 May 1982. On 21 May 1982 Argonaut, along with other destroyers and frigates, provided close escort for amphibious vessels during the opposed arrival at San Carlos by British Forces, with Argonaut standing off the "Fanning Head" headland within Falkland Sound guarding the Northern approaches to the operational area. Whilst this operation was underway, she was attacked by Argentine warplanes throughout the day which Argonaut, engaged with anti aircraft weapons. Two of the air attacks succeeded in damaging Argonaut. The first at 10:15 was an improvised assault from a lone Argentine aircraft, piloted by Lt. Guillermo Owen Crippa flying an Aermacchi MB 339 from the Argentine Navy's 1st Naval Air Attack Squadron, who had been despatched on a reconnaissance flight over Falkland Sound to ascertain the veracity of reports it had received from an Argentine Army post present at San Carlos. Spotting the landing underway, Crippa attacked Argonaut with cannon fire and rockets, causing damage to her Type 965 radar. The second air attack was made at 13.37 by five A 4 Skyhawks from the Argentinian Air Force's 5th Air Brigade, piloted by Lieutenants Fillipini, Autiero, Osses, Robledo, and Ensign Vottero, which hit her with two bombs. Neither exploded, although one killed two sailors, Able Seaman Iain M. Boldy and Able Seaman Matthew J. Stuart, when it entered the ship's Sea Cat missile magazine, detonating two missiles and the other did severe damage to her boiler room, knocking out the ship's power and leaving her dead in the water. came to the assistance of Argonaut. Plymouth provided electrical power to the stricken Argonaut, Captain Layman sending a signal we are damaged and have lost power but we can still fight. The next day Argonaut was towed into San Carlos bay (later known as bomb alley) by 3 RM LSL vessels. Both bombs were still live and it took some days to defuse them. On 14 June, Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands surrendered to the British task force. On 26 June 1982 Argonaut sailed back under her own steam to Devonport Dockyard, where she had her battle damage repaired and new sonar equipment fitted.

In 1987 Argonaut rescued the businessman/adventurer Richard Branson from the Atlantic Ocean after he had ditched at sea whilst trying to cross it in a hot air balloon. In 1990 Argonaut represented the Royal Navy at commemorations at the Gallipoli peninsula on the 75th Anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. In August 1992 Argonaut was involved in the pursuit and arrest on the high seas in the South Atlantic Ocean of Roderick Newall, a former British Army officer who had murdered his parents in Jersey.

Argonaut was decommissioned from the Royal Navy on 31 March 1993, and was laid up at Fareham Creek. On 25 January 1995 she left Portsmouth Harbour under tow to a port in Spain where she was broken up.

FromToCaptain19671969Commander Brian Spark RN19691971Cdr Mike Garnett RN19731974Commander Casper William (Bill) Carnegie Swinley RN19741975Commander Christopher S. Seal RN19791981Captain Charles E T Baker RN19811982Capt C H Layman DSO MVO RN19891990Captain John P Clarke RN19901992Captain William K Hutchison RN19921993Captain R P Stevens RN

Marriott, Leo, 1983. Royal Navy Frigates 1945–1983, Ian Allan Ltd.