Utente:Payu/sandbox
Il 2 aprile [1982]], il territorio britannico d'oltremare delle Isole Falkland, venne invaso dalla vicina Argentina. Il regno Unito, distante 13.000 Km, raggruppo e spedì una task force navale, che comprendeva Portaerei, sottomarini, e approssimativamente 7.000 soldati per riconquistare lìarcipelago. Il conflitto terminò a giugno con la sconfitta dell'argentina. Poco più di un mese prima dello scoppio della guerra, Cardiff, sotto il comando del capitano Michael Harris, aveva appena iniziato un periodo di sei mesi di dispiegamento nel golfo persico con Armilla Patrol. La Cardiff aveva appena sostituito la sua nave gemella nonchè capoclasse HMS Sheffield in questo ruolo, ma il 23 aprile, venne assegnata sul fronte delle Falklands. Navigò da sola attraverso gibilterra e raggiunse il 14 maggio il resto della flotta già diretta verso la parte meridionale dell'arcipelago. Durante il viaggio l'equipaggio della Cardiff eseguì varie esecitazioni, compres, simulazioni contro attacchi aerei, nucleari, biologici, chimiche e contro missili anti nave. Visto che anche la flotta argentina disponeva di alcuini Type 42, a tutte le navi britanniche appartenenti a questa classe vannero dipinte due righe nere verticali a metà dello scafo in modo che fossero più facilmente riconoscibili da parte dei sottomarini alleati. Il 22 maggio, un aereo da ricognizione argentino Boeing 707 venne attaccato dalla Cardiff. L'aereo venne rilevato mentre stava seguendo la flotta, la cardiff fu la nave ad essere incaricata di arretrare e abattere il veivolo. La nave sparò due Sea Dart alle 11:40 (ora locale) dalla massima distanza; il primo cadè in mare, il secondo mancò il bersaglio a causa delle manovre diversive fatte dall'equipaggio dell'aereo. Dopo l'attacco il TC-92 scese al disotto del livello dei radar e fece ritorno alla base di El Palomar. Il 25 maggio, la Cardiff è stata incaricata di recuperare 4 paracadutisti della Special Air Service che si erano lanciati da un Lockheed C-130 Hercules passato sopra la nave. Il gruppo Bristol si unì alla task force principale il 26 maggio. L'arrivo della Cardiff permise alla HMS Glasgow (D88) di tornare nel regno unito per le riparazioni necessarie
Cardiff’s primary role was to form part of the anti-aircraft warfare picket, protecting British ships from air attack and attempting to ambush Argentine aircraft that were re-supplying Port Stanley Airport.[27][28] She was also required to fire at enemy positions on the islands with her 4.5-inch gun. In one engagement she fired 277 high-explosive rounds,[19] although later problems with the gun prevented continual use.[29]
Shortly after arrival, she was involved in the final Exocet raid against HMS Invincible.[19] In the early hours of 6 June, Cardiff shot down a friendly Army Air Corps Gazelle helicopter (no. XX377 of 656 Squadron), in the belief it was a low flying enemy C-130 Hercules.[30][31] All four on-board were killed,[32] the factors contributing to the accident were a poor level of communication between the army and navy, and the helicopter's "Identification Friend or Foe" transmitter had been turned off due to it interfering with other equipment.[30][33] However a board of inquiry recommended that neither negligence nor blame should be attributed to any individual and that no action should be taken against any individual.[34] The number "205" was later painted at the crash site (51°47′01″S 58°28′04″W / 51.783600°S 58.467786°W / -51.783600; -58.467786) as a memorial, the significance being that two of the helicopter's passengers were from 205 Signal Squadron. Approximately an hour after the shootdown, Cardiff spotted four landing craft carrying troops from the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards.[17] Having been told there were no other British forces in the area, Cardiff's crew assumed they were Argentine, and fired illuminating star shells over them in preparation to attack. When the Guards saw the star shells and realised Cardiff’s intentions, the officer in charge of the landing craft, Major Ewen Southby-Tailyour, moved them to shallow water in an attempt to outrun her. Cardiff, still closing on the craft, signalled to them a single word "friend" via Aldis lamp, Southby-Tailyour responded with "to which side".[35] At this point Cardiff "left them alone",[35] neither attacking or assisting them, nevertheless another "blue on blue" incident was avoided.[36]
Cardiff's helicopter, piloted by Lieutenant Christopher Clayton, practising search and rescue prior to the warOn the morning of 13 June, two Argentine Dagger aircraft attacked Cardiff’s Lynx helicopter, no. 335 of 815 NAS, while it was searching in the Falkland Sound area. Poor weather had forced the Argentine craft to abandon their original mission of bombing Mount Longdon, and the third Dagger of their formation had suffered a mechanical failure and returned to base.[37] The Lynx began evasive manoeuvres and dodged the attacks; the pilot, Lieutenant Christopher Clayton, was mentioned in despatches for his efforts.[38] Later that day, Cardiff shot down what would prove to be the last Argentine aircraft lost during the war,[17][39] Canberra bomber B-108 of Grupo de Bombardeo 2 ("Bombing Group 2") en route to bomb Port Harriet House.[37] The pilot, Captain Pastrán, survived but the navigator,[27] Captain Casado, was killed.[37][40] Although the remains of Captain Casado were discovered in 1986, they were only identified by DNA testing in September 2008.[41] Argentina surrendered on 14 June, and Cardiff was required to accept the surrender of a 700-strong Argentine garrison in the settlement of Port Howard on West Falkland a day later.[19] Members of Cardiff’s crew were used to man a captured Argentine patrol boat, renamed HMS Tiger Bay, in Stanley. Cardiff spent the rest of June acting as the Landing Area Air Warfare Controller (LAAWC) around San Carlos.[19]
Canberra bomber B-108 of Grupo de Bombardeo 2. This Argentine aircraft, the last to be lost during the Falklands War, was shot down by Cardiff.Over the course of the war, Cardiff fired nine Sea Dart missiles and one Mk 46 torpedo.[19] She returned to the United Kingdom on 28 July 1982, having left the Falklands three weeks earlier along with HMS Exeter and HMS Yarmouth.[17] Captain Michael Harris handed over command on 24 August 1982, after the annual maintenance period.[19] Following the war, all Type 42 destroyers were fitted with Oerlikon 30 mm twin cannons port and starboard, for protection against airborne threats.[42] These were later replaced by the Phalanx close-in weapon system.[12]