HMS Antrim (D18)

HMS Antrim was a County-class destroyer of the Royal Navy launched on 19 October 1967. In the mid-1970s, the Royal Navy removed 'B' turret and replaced it with four Exocet launchers.

Falklands Conflict
Antrim served in the Falklands War. She was the flagship of Operation Paraquet, the recovery of South Georgia in April 1982. Her helicopter, a Westland Wessex HAS.Mk3, was responsible for the rescue of 16 SAS men from Fortuna Glacier. The aircraft played a key role in the detection and disabling of the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe. Captain Largos, commander of the Argentine forces on South Georgia, signed the surrender document for the Argentine Forces there in her wardroom. Lieutenant-Commander Alfredo Astiz signed a separate document shortly afterwards aboard HMS Plymouth (F126). While supporting the main landing on the Falkland Islands at San Carlos Water, a 1000 lb bomb hit Antrim, but did not explode, and she fired her Sea Slug Missile at an Argentine Air Force A-4 Skyhawk without hitting it.

A name board formerly belonging to her now resides in the Falkland Islands Museum, Stanley.

Affiliates as HMS Antrim
As part of her relationship with County Antrim, she carried a piece of the Giant's Causeway mounted in the ship's main passageway, appropriately also named the Giant's Causeway.
 * Royal Irish Rangers



Transfer to Chilean Navy
Antrim was and sold to Chile on 22 June 1984. The Chileans renamed her Almirante Cochrane after Thomas Cochrane, who had commanded the Chilean Navy from 1817 to 1822. In 1994 Almirante Cochrane underwent the same refit as her sister ship Blanco Encalada. This entailed removing her Seaslug launcher and extending her deck aft to allow the installation of a new, larger hangar. In 1996 she received the Barak SAM in place of her Seacat launchers.

The Chilean Navy decommissioned Almirante Cochrane on 7 December 2006. On 11 December 2010, she was towed to China for scrap.

Publications

 * Yates, D. (2006) Bomb Alley - Falklands War 1982: Aboard HMS Antrim at War, Pen & Sword Maritime, ISBN 1-84415-417-3
 * Yates, D. (2006) Bomb Alley - Falklands War 1982: Aboard HMS Antrim at War, Pen & Sword Maritime, ISBN 1-84415-417-3