Following its decommissioning in 2020, the historic Type 82 destroyer HMS Bristol — the only ship of its class and the last active British vessel to have served in the Malvinas War — set sail on the morning of Wednesday, June 11 from Portsmouth, bound for Turkey, where it will finally be dismantled. Towed from the Naval Base that had been its home for decades, the ship was bid farewell by a group of veterans and former crew members who gathered at the Round Tower in Portsmouth’s old town to witness the start of its final voyage.
HMS Bristol was originally conceived as part of the Type 82 destroyer program, designed to escort the CVA-01 aircraft carriers that the Royal Navy had planned to introduce in the late 1960s. However, the cancellation of that ambitious project left Bristol as the only ship of its class to be built.
Commissioned on March 31, 1973, the destroyer incorporated several cutting-edge technologies for its time. It was the first Royal Navy vessel equipped with the Sea Dart surface-to-air missile system (GWS Mk 30), along with the ADAWS-2 combat system, Ikara anti-submarine missiles, and a 113 mm Mk 8 gun. During its early years in service, it also served as a test platform for new weapons and electronic systems.
In 1982, HMS Bristol was assigned to Task Group 317.8 as part of the reinforcements sent to the South Atlantic during the Malvinas War. It departed between May 10 and 12 alongside Type 42 destroyers HMS Cardiff and HMS Exeter, as well as several Type 21 and Leander-class frigates.
HMS Bristol joined the carrier group as an anti-aircraft defense vessel following the sinking of HMS Coventry, launching Sea Dart missiles without confirmed kills. At the end of the conflict, it assumed the role of flagship for the United Kingdom until the arrival of the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. During its southward transit, the group led by Bristol conducted exercises with French Super Étendard aircraft simulating AM39 Exocet missile attacks — a crucial experience following the loss of HMS Sheffield on May 4, 1982.
After two decades of active service, HMS Bristol was placed in reserve in 1991. However, in 1993 it was refitted and repurposed as a stationary training ship, moored at Whale Island in Portsmouth Harbour. During this period, it served as a training environment for thousands of cadets, technicians, and military personnel, receiving up to 17,000 visitors per year.
In 2011, the ship underwent refurbishment at Tyneside, carried out by A&P Group in Hebburn, in order to extend its service life by another decade. Finally, HMS Bristol was officially decommissioned in 2020 after 47 years of service, closing its chapter as the last active British vessel to have participated in the Malvinas War.
Cover image credit: UK Ministry of Defence.
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