HMS Antelope (F170)

Frigate Warship / Patrol Frigate [ 1975 ]

The fighting frigate HMS Antelope F170 of the British Royal Navy fell victim to Argentine bombs during the Falklands War of 1982.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/25/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

The Falklands War between Argentina and Britain began on April 2nd, 1982 when elements of the former invaded British-protected territories in the South Pacific. Days later, the Royal Navy was sent into action to intervene and the conflict would span over a period of two-plus months resulting in a resounding defeat of the Argentina military. Beyond the British victory, fallout of the war included a democratic government installed to succeed military-rule in Argentina in 1983 as well as a complete severing of political ties between the two powers that lasted into 1989 - not to mention the loss of life experienced on both sides.

Type 21 Frigates of the Royal Navy
HMS Antelope (F170) was a surface fighting frigate of the British Royal Navy (RN) during this period as part of the latter Cold War years. The vessel belonged to the eight-strong "Type 21" group - the "A Frigates" - made up of HMS Amazon, HMS Antelope, HMS Ambuscade, HMS Arrow, HMS Active, HMS Alacrity, HMS Ardent, and HMS Avenger. The group was ordered from 1969 into 1971 and constructed from 1969 until 1974. Commissioning took place from 1974 into 1978.

HMS Antelope Origins
Antelope herself was ordered on May 11th, 1970 and saw her keel laid down on March 23rd, 1971 by Vosper Thornycroft. She was launched to sea on March 16th, 1972, accepted into the ranks of the RN on June 30th, 1975, and formally commissioned on July 16th, 1975. By definition she was a "patrol frigate", capable of close-to-shore operation as well as "blue water" service.

In service, she fought under the motto of "Audax et Vigilans" ("Daring and Watchful").

Profile
Her lines included a raised bow section with a sole turreted deck gun present. The bridge section was set atop the forward portion of the hull superstructure which also held the main mast. A secondary mast was positioned just aft near the smoke funnel at midships. The profile gradually stepped down towards a leveled flight deck set over the stern. Dimensions included a running length of 384 feet with a beam reaching 41.8 feet and a draught down to 19.5 feet. Displacement was 3,250 tons under full loads.

Air Wing
The stern-based flight deck was home to a single medium-lift navy helicopter - this originally being a Westland Wasp but later upgraded to the Westland Lynx.©MilitaryFactory.com

Installed Power and Performance
Internally, power was from a COmbined Gas Or Gas (COGOG) arrangement seeing 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus and 2 x Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A gas turbines. The latter pair was used for cruising actions while the former was reserved for high-speed dashing. Top speed in ideal conditions reached 32 knots and range was out to a healthy 4,000 nautical miles. Aboard was a crew of about 177 personnel.

Armament Suite
Installed armament was led by 1 x 4.5" (114mm) Mark 8 series turreted deck gun over the forecastle. 2 x 20mm Oerlikon autocannons were used for Anti-Aircraft (AA) defense as was a single "Sea Cat" quadruple Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launcher. The vessel also carried 2 x Triple torpedo tubes to engage enemy submarines at range. Unlike her sisters, Antelope was never fitted with the all-important "Exocet" anti-ship missile system. All told, the warship could be called upon to undertake a variety of ocean-going roles: denying airspace, securing strategic points, tracking enemy surface ships or submarines, or protecting the main fleet.

Falklands War Commitment
With the war having begun in early April of 1982, HMS Antelope did not make it to the theater until May 21st of that year. Her career in the war came to a rather abrupt end when, on May 23rd, she was targeted by Argentine Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers (detailed elsewhere on this site) numbering four (in two flights). The first wave of Skyhawks largely avoided the AA defense network and managed to score a single hit from a 1,000lb bomb along Antelope's starboard side - however this munition did not detonate. The second flight saw one Skyhawk clipping the secondary mastworks, causing damage, while the other attacker was downed by British fire. A second bomb pierced Antelope's deck but, again, did not detonate.

HMS Antelope Meets Her End
Despite multiple attempts by Royal Engineers to disarm at least one of the bombs, the vessel was lost when the final (fourth) attempt involved use of a small controlled explosive. This detonated the munition which created a ripple effect of issues for the doomed ship. One engineer was killed outright while another suffered injuries including the loss of an arm. With electrical power gone and fires spreading, the order was given to abandon the vessel.

Antelope detonated throughout the night time hours to present rather dramatic pictures for the time. The explosions were such that her hull was completely fractured by morning - though she remained afloat. In time, she broke in two and sunk to the bottom of the sea ending her service career in the RN. Today her remains are protected.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1975

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

LOST-IN-ACTION
No Longer in Service.

Complement

177
PERSONNEL

Class

Type 21-class

Number-in-Class

8
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

HMS Amazon (F169); HMS Antelope (F170); HMS Ambuscade (F172); HMS Arrow (F173); HMS Active (F171); HMS Alacrity (F174); HMS Ardent (F184); HMS Avenger (F185)

United Kingdom (sunk)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

Length

384.0 ft
117.04 m

Beam

41.8 ft
12.74 m

Draught

19.5 ft
5.94 m

Displacement

3,250
tons

Installed Power: 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus gas turbines with 2 x Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A gas cruising turbines in COGOG (COmbined Gas Or Gas) arrangement.

Surface Speed

32.0 kts
(36.8 mph)

Range

3,997 nm
(4,600 mi | 7,403 km)

1 x 4.5" (114mm) Mark 8 turreted deck gun.

2 x 20mm Oerliokn Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns.

1 x "Sea Cat" Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) quadruple launcher.

2 x 21" triple torpedo tubes (six total tubes).

Supported Types

Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

1 x Westland Wasp / Westland Lynx or similar navalized medium-lift helicopter on the stern flight deck.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)