 RFAArgus off the coast ofDevonport in 2007. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | MVContender Bezant |
| Owner | Contender 2 Ltd (Sea Containers, Managers) |
| Port of registry | Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Builder | Società Italiana Ernesto Breda atMarghera |
| Yard number | 293 |
| Launched | 28 November 1980 |
| Completed | 31 July 1981 |
| Fate | Sold toHarland and Wolff, 1 March 1984 |
| Notes | Requisitioned byMinistry of Defence, May 1982. Returned to owner, November 1982. |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | RFAArgus |
| Acquired | 18 March 1988 |
| Commissioned | 1 June 1988 |
| Renamed | 25 March 1987 |
| Homeport | HMNB Devonport[1] |
| Identification | |
| Motto | Occuli Omnium (Eyes of All) |
| Honours & awards | Falkland Islands 1982 (as the MVContender Bezant), Gulf War 1991, Bosnia War 1992, Kosovo War 1998, Ebola Crisis 2015 |
| Status | In active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Littoral strike ship; secondary functions: Role 3 casualty treatment/aviation training and support vessel |
| Displacement | 28,081 tonnes |
| Length | 175.1 m (574 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 30.4 m (99 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 8.1 m (26 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 ×Lindholmen Pielstick 18 PC2.5V diesels, twin propellers; bow-thruster |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Range | 20,000 nautical miles at 10 knots |
| Complement |
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| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | Three landing spots; capacity of up to nineWestland Merlin helicopters or equivalent mix ofCH47 Chinooks,WAH-64 Apaches and/orAgustaWestland AW159 Wildcats[6] |
| Aviation facilities | 1 Aircraft lift from Flight Deck to 4-Deck number 2 hangar, 4x hangars |
RFAArgus is a ship of theRoyal Fleet Auxiliary operated by theMinistry of Defence under theBlue Ensign. Italian-built,Argus was formerly thecontainer shipMVContender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in theFalklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for a four-year conversion to an Aviation Training Ship, replacingRFAEngadine. In 1991, during theGulf War, she was fitted with an extensive and fully functional hospital to assume the additional role of Primary Casualty Receiving Ship. In 2009, the PCRS role became the ship's primary function.[7]Argus is due to remain in service beyond 2030.[8] In July 2022 it was reported that the futureLittoral Strike Role would be assumed byArgus after a refit to convert her to this role.[9] As of October 2023,Argus had started her deployment to serve as part of Littoral Response Group (South).[10]
In her secondary role as a primary casualty receiving ship, given she is an armed vessel and not painted in the required white with red crosses, theGeneva Convention does not permit her to be being officially classified as ahospital ship.[11][12] The ship's capabilities make her ideally suited to thehumanitarian aid role and she has undertaken several of these missions. The Royal Navy has occasionally described her as a "support ship/helicopter carrier".[13]
The ship was built bySocietà Italiana Ernesto Breda atMarghera in Italy for Contender 2 Ltd (Sea Containers, Managers) ofHamilton, Bermuda, and was launched on 28 November 1980. In May 1982, theContender Bezant wastaken-up from trade by theMinistry of Defence (MoD) and given a basic conversion atHMNB Devonport to allow her to operate helicopters andHarrier jump jets in the transport role for Operation Corporate, the British military deployment to theFalkland Islands. She arrived in the area shortly after the Argentine surrender and following a refit to her original configuration, was returned to her owners in November.[14]
Following the conflict, the MoD investigated the replacement of the small helicopter support shipRFAEngadine, commissioningVickers Shipbuilding and Engineering (VSEL) make a "concept study" resulting in the decision to convert a merchant ship to operate anti-submarine helicopters and with the ability to ferrySea Harrier aircraft. In December 1983 the MoD invitedBritish Shipbuilders ofBirkenhead andHarland and Wolff inBelfast to tender on the building of a new Air Training Ship (ATS) or to purchase and convert an existing ship along the lines proposed by VSEL. By coincidence both tenders proposed converting the laid-upContender Bezant and in March 1984, a fixed price contract was awarded to Harland and Wolff. Accordingly, she was purchased by the company for the estimated price of £18 million on 14 March 1984.[15]
After a four-year conversion, the ship entered RFA service in 1988. Having been initially designed as acontainer ship, she would have been toostable when unloaded, making her motion at sea "very stiff" which resulted in a very short roll period which is not appropriate for operating helicopters. Therefore, her superstructure is deliberately heavily built (weighing some 800 tons), and she has 1,800 tons ofconcreteballast carried in former hatch covers, which have been inverted to form tray-like structures.[16]
Being a former container ship,Argus does not have a traditional aircraft carrier layout – the ship's superstructure is located forward, with a long flight deck aft. The ship has a small secondary superstructure approximately two-thirds of the way down the flight deck, containing the ship's exhaust funnel. This is used by small helicopters to simulate landing on the flight deck of a destroyer or frigate.
For the 1991Gulf WarArgus was fitted with a fully functional hospital, which has since been modified and extensively augmented with specialist equipment, providing 70 to 100 beds.[17][18] The ship is equipped with anintensive-care unit, and can providemedical x-ray andCT-scan services. Casualties can be quickly transferred from the deck directly into theassessment area. Since 2009, the ship's role as a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship has been her principal role, although she continues to be used for aviation training.
In 2007 the ship was refitted with upgraded hospital facilities (replacing the forward aircraft lift with a ramp for emergency exit for hospital trollies and patients as well as two 50-man passenger lifts that lead to a new structure erected on the flight deck), generators and aviation systems (the ship had been due to receive an upgrade to its night-vision capabilities enabling the use ofWAH-64 Apache helicopters) to provide an operational life (at that time) until 2020.[19]
Argus also has the ability to refuel ships at sea, as exemplified in April 2024 when she replenishedRFA Lyme Bay in the Indian Ocean.[20]
As the MVContender Bezant, following conversion the ship left Devonport on 20 May 1982 and calling atCharleston, South Carolinaen route, arrived atPort William, Falkland Islands on 19 June 1982. She returned to the United Kingdom in August.[14]
Argus entered service with the RFA in 1988, replacingRFA Engadine in the aviation training role. The ship deployed to thePersian Gulf in 1991 for service in theGulf War (Operation Granby),[21] and later provided humanitarian aid forKurdish civilians inOperation Haven.[14]Argus also saw service in the Adriatic in 1993 and 1999 supporting British operations inBosnia and overKosovo respectively. During this period,Argus operated in part as aLPH. Her unsuitability for this role was a major factor in the commissioning ofHMS Ocean. On 2 February 1998, three helicopters based onArgus rescued 12 members of the crew of MVDelfin Mediteraneo from their life rafts when the ship sank in the Atlantic. Normal flying had been abandoned, due to bad weather, but the rescue went ahead in 60 feet (18 m) waves, earning threeAir Force Crosses and sixQueen's Commendations for Bravery in the Air for the aircrew.[22]
During times of war RFAArgus could act as a floating hospital with two fully equipped wards and mortuary. The hospital was utilised in this way off the coast of Freetown in 2000–01, in support of British operations against the rebelWest Side Boys.
A project to replaceArgus called the Joint Casualty Treatment Ship (JCTS) was put on hold in December 2001 after passing initial approval. The Integrated Project Team (IPT) managing the project was subsequently disbanded in 2005.Argus was most recently stationed at her home port ofFalmouth inCornwall, England, though being an RFA ship means that she also uses the former naval dockyard onPortland inDorset, England.
In 2003Argus was deployed again to the Gulf as a Primary Casualty Reception Ship duringOperation Telic. A 33-ship fleet supported a British amphibious assault of theAl-Faw Peninsula.
In 2008 she deployed to the Middle East to act as a platform forSea King ASaC7 helicopters. On 13 July, the ships in the deployment seized 23 tonnes of narcotics in thePersian Gulf.[14]
In June 2011,Argus was operating in theMiddle East aroundYemen.[23] By August she had returned to Falmouth and was filmed for the filmWorld War Z.[24][25]
In mid-May 2012 the vessel, with embarked forces from theRoyal Marines andFleet Air Arm, including an embarkedSuper Lynx helicopter and the newly formed Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Team, set sail forNorth America to support potential humanitarian operations during the hurricane season. Their primary mission was to support theBritish Overseas Territories should they require assistance in the hurricane season as well as maintaining the constant Royal Navy presence within the wider region. Before commencing her disaster relief mission the ship engaged in multinational exercises and celebrations commemorating theWar of 1812 with units from theUS Navy[26] as part ofOpSail 2012.
In 2013 the ship was used for training with theAgustaWestland Wildcat, the successor to theLynx.[27]
In 2014 the ship participated in the annualExercise Joint Warrior, practising Medical Evacuation and Treatment.[28][29] On 8 October 2014, UK Foreign SecretaryPhilip Hammond announced that the RFAArgus would travel toSierra Leone to assist with the2014 Ebola outbreak.[30] On 30 October of the same year, the vessel docked in Sierra Leone, with three Merlin helicopters embarked.[31] Their work of establishing shore-based medical facilities and transporting aid to outlying areas earned the ship an Admiralty Board Letter of Commendation and 167Ebola Medals for Service in West Africa were awarded to crew members.[14]
In mid-2017Argus was host to four Wildcat helicopters from 825 Naval Air Squadron for initial training off the coast of Portugal which lasted for three weeks.
In June 2018, following a year-long refit, she embarkedMerlin HC4 helicopters of845 Naval Air Squadron and Wildcats of 847 NAS which practised amphibious landings in support of exercise Baltic Protector in the Baltic Sea.[32]
In April 2020, the Royal Navy dispatched theArgus to theCaribbean region to supportBritish Overseas Territories, if required, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, and in preparation for the upcominghurricane season.[33][34] This is contrary to some previous media reports in thetabloid press, which stated that she would be deployed to London to assist with thecoronavirus outbreak in the UK.[35]
Argus had been expected to retire from service in 2024.[36] However, in 2022 the Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin indicated that she was likely to be life extended until beyond 2030. Her functions are projected eventually to be taken over by the newMulti Role Support Ships proposed for acquisition in the2021 defence white paper.[8][37][38]
In March 2023, as part of her conversion to the littoral strike role,Argus was fit with a single Phalanx 20 mm close-in-weapon-system as part of her armament and conducted training withArmy Air CorpsApache helicopters.[39] In the autumn of 2023, following intensive maintenance and upgrade for her new role, the ship was expected to deploy east of Suez as the principal unit ofLittoral Response Group (South).[40][41]
In October 2023,Argus began a long-term deployment to the Indian Ocean region in company with the dock landing shipLyme Bay. For her deployment as part of Littoral Response Group (South), she reportedly embarked threeMerlin Mk4 helicopters.[42] It was subsequently indicated by the Government that she was to remain, for a time, in the Eastern Mediterranean withLyme Bay as part of a broader British regional presence given the outbreak of theGaza war.[43]
In February 2024,Argus briefly operated under the authority ofNaval Striking Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) in the Eastern Mediterranean alongside the USS BATAAN Amphibious Readiness Group, consisting ofUSSBataan (LHD-5),USSCarter Hall (LSD-50),USSMesa Verde (LPD-19), andUSSArleigh Burke (DDG-51) as part of aNATO transfer of authority (TOA) exercise.[44]
In March 2024, maintenance ofArgus andLyme Bay was undertaken at theLarsen & Toubro'sKattupalli Shipyard in India. This was the first time that a Royal Navy ship had arrived in an Indian shipyard for maintenance. The ships, escorted byHMS Diamond, had transited through theRed Sea to reach India.[45][46] In April 2024, LRG(S) participated inMaritime Partnership Exercise withIndian Navy'sEastern Fleet in theIndian Ocean. The exercise included stealth frigateINS Sahyadri. The tasks conducted in the exercise included tactical manoeuvres, boarding ops, surface engagement against simulated asymmetric threats, cross deck visits & cross deck helo ops.[47][48] In May 2024,Argus entered dry dock for additional maintenance, this time inSingapore.[49]
In July 2024, bothArgus andLyme Bay deployed to Australia for exercise "Predators Run" which included troops from40 Commando Royal Marines, and also involved US and Australian forces.[50] In September 2024,Argus began transit back to the U.K. visitingCape Town enroute.[51] She arrived in the UK in early October[52] to begin refit which was anticipated to last until March 2025. It was planned thatArgus would again deploy east of Suez in 2025 to join up with theUK Carrier Strike Group later in the deployment.[53] However, in July 2025 it was reported that theMaritime and Coastguard Agency andLloyd's Register had deemedArgus "unsafe to sail", meaning that, at minimum, further work would be required to render the 45-year old vessel seaworthy.[54]
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