RFA Argus (A135)

Career
Purchased:	February 1984
Laid down:
Launched:
Commissioned:	1 June 1988
Decommissioned:
Fate:
Struck:
General characteristics
Displacement:	28,030 tonnes
Length:	175.1 m
Beam:	30.4 m
Draught:	8.1 m
Propulsion:	Two Lindholman Pielstick 18 PC2.5V diesels, two shafts; bowthruster
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h)
Range:
Complement:	80 RFA 35 RN 137 RN air squadron personnel
Armament:	Four BMARC 30 mm machine guns four 7.62 machine guns
Aircraft:	Five spots for Westland Sea Kings, CH-47 Chinooks, Westland Merlins or Westland Lynx; can transport Sea Harrier FA2s
Motto:

RFA Argus (A135) is an aviation training ship with a secondary role of primary casualty receiving ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Argus was formerly the container ship MV Contender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984. After a four year conversion at Harland and Wolff in Belfast the ship entered RFA service in 1988, replacing RFA Engadine in the aviation training role. Since the Argus has proven to be a versatile vessel, serving in many wars. In recent conflicts, the ship's role as a primary casualty receiving ship (referred to as such rather than a hospital ship as the vessel is armed, thus not meeting the Geneva Convention definition of a hospital ship) has been more prominent than its aviation training duties.

The ship deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 for service in the Gulf War, and also saw service in the Adriatic in 1993 and 1999 supporting British operations in Bosnia and over Kosovo respectively. In 2003 Argus was deployed again to the Gulf as part of a 33 ship fleet to support a British amphibious assault of the Al Faw peninsula. Argus operated in its PCRS role.

There are rumours of replacements for Argus being funded by the end of the decade but little solid has come of it. Much of the RFA fleet will need to be replaced over the next five years but little concrete has yet been done to order ships.