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.
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