Talk:Type 82 destroyer

Type 82 Bristol class destroyer
This was at Type 82 Bristol class destroyer:

HMS Bristol was a one-off destroyer, classified as Type 82, commissioned in 1972.

She was originally designed as an escort for the Royal Navy's planned (but never built) aircraft carriers in the late 1960s.

Weighing 6000 tonnes made her a large ship for her purpose, and she was armed with the sea dart anti-aircraft missile and a 4.5 inch gun. She was powered by a combination of steam and gas turbines, with a top speed of 30 knots and a crew of 400.

By the time HMS Bristol was commissioned, political and technological developments had rendered it largely unnecessary and obsolete. The decision to cancel the future aircraft carrier (on cost grounds) meant that further escorts this size and cost were considered unnecessary. In addition, the steam turbine used for main propulsion was a dated technology at a time when the Royal Navy was switching to more compact and easily controllable gas turbines.

HMS Bristol served with distinction in the Royal Navy, taking part in the Falklands war of 1982 and not being decommissioned until the early 1990s. She also acted as a useful test bed for the weapons later installed in the Type 42 destroyers still in service today.

The type 42s are some 2000 tonnes lighter than HMS Bristol, powered by 4 gas turbines of two different types, and armed with sea dart, a 4.5 inch gun and the American Phalanx close-in weapons system. The type 42s themselves are now verging on obsolescence and will be replaced in 2007 by the superb new Type 45 destroyer, now under construction.

HMS Bristol is still afloat however. With weapons and fuel removed, and cannibalized for many of her parts, she is moored at HMS Excellent, Whale Island, Portsmouth, where she is used as an accommodation ship for sea cadets and visiting students. Doubtless she will remain there for many years to come.

GWS 30 "Sea Dart" magazine size
This article says that the Bristol had 40 Sea Darts. That can't be correct. All the Type 42 DDG had 22 missiles, including the Batch three ships. An acquaintance who served in the RN told me Bristol had 22 also. The largest installations were on the Invincible class with 36 rounds. --Two way time (talk) 00:46, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Friedman says she could hold 38 missiles, plus ten additional warheads.--Toddy1 (talk) 07:08, 28 June 2010 (UTC)

Merge Type 82 destroyer into HMS Bristol (D23)
Type 82 destroyer should be merged into HMS Bristol (D23)

For the discussion, see Talk:HMS Bristol (D23) --184.144.163.181 (talk) 07:07, 11 May 2011 (UTC)


 * In case it wasn't clear above, an editor has opened up a discussion about whether this page should be merged with HMS Bristol (D23). The discussion can be found here. All editors opinions welcome in the discussion. Thanks Woody (talk) 11:53, 11 May 2011 (UTC)