RFA Argus (A135)

RFA ''Argus'' is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence under the Blue Ensign. Italian-built, ''Argus'' was formerly the container ship ''Contender Bezant''. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for a four-year conversion to an Aviation Training Ship, replacing RFA ''Engadine''. In 1991, during the Gulf 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. ''Argus'' is due to remain in service beyond 2030. In July 2022 it was reported that the future Littoral Strike Role would be assumed by ''Argus'' after a refit to convert her to this role.

As the ship is armed and is not painted in the required white with red crosses, the Geneva Convention prevents her from being officially classified as a hospital ship. The ship's capabilities make her ideally suited to the humanitarian aid role and she has undertaken several of these missions. The Royal Navy has occasionally described her as a "support ship/helicopter carrier".

Design and facilities

The ship was built by Società Italiana Ernesto Breda at Marghera in Italy for Contender 2 Ltd ( Sea Containers, Managers) of Hamilton, Bermuda, and was launched on 28 November 1980. In May 1982, the ''Contender Bezant'' was taken-up from trade by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and given a basic conversion at HMNB Devonport to allow her to operate helicopters and Harrier jump jets in the transport role for Operation Corporate, the British military deployment to the Falkland Islands. She arrived in the area shortly after the Argentinian surrender and following a refit to her original configuration, was returned to her owners in November.

Following the conflict, the MoD investigated the replacement of the small helicopter support ship RFA ''Engadine'', commissioning Vickers 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 ferry Sea Harrier aircraft. In December 1983 the MoD invited British Shipbuilders of Birkenhead and Harland and Wolff in Belfast 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-up ''Contender 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.

After a four-year conversion, the ship entered RFA service in 1988. Having been initially designed as a container ship, she would have been too unstable 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 of concrete ballast carried in former hatch covers, which have been inverted to form tray-like structures.

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 1991 Gulf War ''Argus'' was fitted with a fully functional hospital, which has since been modified and extensively augmented with specialist equipment, providing 70 beds. The ship is equipped with an intensive-care unit, and can provide medical x-ray and CT-scan services. Casualties can be quickly transferred from the deck directly into the assessment area. Since 2009, the ship's role as a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship has been her primary 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 is due to receive an upgrade to its night-vision capabilities enabling the use of WAH-64 Apache helicopters) to give an operational life until 2020.

Service history

1980s

As the MV ''Contender Bezant'', following conversion the ship left Devonport on 20 May 1982 and calling at Charleston, South Carolina ''en route'', arrived at Port William, Falkland Islands on 19 June 1982. She returned to the United Kingdom in August.

1990s

''Argus'' entered service with the RFA in 1988, replacing in the aviation training role. The ship deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 for service in the Gulf War (Operation Granby), and later provided humanitarian aid for Kurdish civilians in Operation Haven. ''Argus'' also saw service in the Adriatic in 1993 and 1999 supporting British operations in Bosnia and over Kosovo respectively. During this period, ''Argus'' operated in part as a LPH. Her unsuitability for this role was a major factor in the commissioning of . On 2 February 1998, three helicopters based on ''Argus'' rescued 12 members of the crew of MV ''Delfin Mediteraneo'' from their life rafts when the ship sank in the Atlantic. Flying had been abandoned due to bad weather but the rescue went ahead in waves, earning three