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HMS SHEFFIELD


mickjj

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While not strictly a topic about the city itself I thought a history of the Ships that proudly carried our city's name would be of interest.

Three Royal Navy warships have been named HMS Sheffield after the city and county borough of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

HMS Sheffield (C24)

Built by Vickers Armstrong, Tyne. Laid Down 31st January 1935.

Launched 23rd July 1936. Completed 25th August 1937. Paid off 1959.

Reserve 1960-1966. Broken up by Shipbreaking Industries, Faslane, 1967.

War service

At the outbreak of war, Sheffield served with the 18th Cruiser Squadron, patrolling the Denmark Straits and then, in April 1940, she was engaged in the Norway campaign. After a short spell carrying out anti-invasion duties in the English Channel, she joined Force H, based in Gibraltar. During that time, she operated in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic until the year's end.

In 1941, she participated in the shelling of Genoa (9 February), operations against Vichy convoys and supporting air reinforcements to Malta. In May, Sheffield took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, narrowly escaping a friendly fire torpedo attack by HMS Ark Royal's Fairey Swordfish aircraft. On 12 June, she located and sunk one of Bismarck's tankers, the Friedrich Breme. After the destruction of another German supply ship, the Kota Penang in early October (with HMS Kenya), Sheffield returned to Britain.

Post-war

The refit was completed in May 1946 and Sheffield alternated between duties in the West Indies (where in 1954 she served as flagship of the 8th Cruiser Squadron) and in home waters and the Mediterranean. There were further refits in 1949/50 and 1954. She went into reserve in January 1959 and became flagship of the Home Fleet until September 1964, when she was placed on the disposal list.

Her equipment was removed at Rosyth in 1967 and the was then broken up at Faslane in the same year. The stainless steel ship's bell, which was made by Hadfield's of Sheffield, was preserved and today hangs in Sheffield Cathedral along with her battle ensign.

She was occupied on Arctic convoys until hitting a mine off Iceland on 3 March 1942 and was under repair until July. After more Arctic convoys, Sheffield joined the forces supporting the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch) in November. In December, Sheffield and Jamaica formed "Force R", under the command of Rear-Admiral Robert L. Burnett (in Sheffield), which provided cover for convoy JW51B. The convoy was attacked by a strong German surface force, but, in the ensuing action (Battle of the Barents Sea), the Germans withdrew and Sheffield sank the German destroyer Friedrich Ekholdt.

In February 1943, Sheffield moved to operate in the Bay of Biscay and, in July and August, she supported the landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche). Returning yet again to the Arctic, she took part in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst off the north coast of Norway, in late December.

In 1944, Sheffield was an escort for the Royal Navy carrier force that executed a series of air attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz, between April and August. These had limited success and reponsibility was passed to the Royal Air Force.

A lengthy refit in Boston and in Britain kept Sheffield out of action until after the end of the war.

HMS Sheffield (D80)

Laid down: 15 January 1970

Launched: 10 June 1971

Commissioned: 16 February 1975

Fate: Sunk on 10 May 1982 after Argentine air attack on 4 May 1982 during Falklands War

HMS Sheffield (D80) was the second Royal Navy ship to bear the name Sheffield, after the city of Sheffield in Yorkshire. She was a Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 January 1970, launched on 10 June 1971 and commissioned on 16 February 1975.

The ship was part of the Task Force sent to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. She was struck by an Exocet cruise missile fired by a French-made Dassault Super Étendard belonging to the Argentine Navy on 4 May 1982 and finally scuttled on the 10 May 1982.

The sinking of HMS Sheffield

At approximately 10 A.M. on the 4 May, HMS Sheffield was at defence watches, second degree readiness, as part of the British Task Force dispatched to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. Sheffield had relieved her sister Coventry as the latter was having technical trouble with her Type 965 radar. Sheffield and Coventry were chatting over UHF. Communications ceased until an unidentified message was received stating simply "Sheffield is hit!". The flagship, Hermes dispatched the escorts Arrow and Yarmouth to investigate, and a helicopter was launched. Confusion reigned until Sheffield's Lynx helicopter unexpectedly landed aboard Hermes carrying the Air Operations Officer and Operations Officer, confirming the disaster.

Sheffield picked up the incoming missile on her ancient Type 965 radar (an interim fitting until the Type 1022 set was available), and the Operations Officer informed the Missile Director, who queried the contact in the ADAWS 4 fire control system[1]. The launch aircraft had not been detected as the British had expected, and it was not until smoke was sighted that the target was confirmed as a sea skimming missile. Five seconds later, the Exocet impacted Sheffield amidships. Such was the lack of warning, there was no time to engage in defensive manoeuvres, leading to a change in policy that all ships believing to be even possibly under missile attack would turn toward the threat, accelerate to maximum speed and fire chaff to prevent a ship being caught defenceless again.

The Exocet was fired from one of two Super Étendards launched from Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and was piloted by Captain Augusto Bedacarratz, who commanded the mission. It was launched at the point-blank range of six miles; the British had expected it to be launched from long range (45 miles) at medium altitude, hence the difficulty in classifying it and taking effective countermeasures. It struck amidships, approximately 8 feet above the waterline on Deck 2, tearing a gash 4 feet by 10 feet in size in the vicinity of the galley[1], which occupied the full width of the hull.

The MOD report into the sinking of the Sheffield concluded that; "Evidence indicates that the Warhead did not detonate" [2]. Some of the crew and members of the Task Force believe however that the missile's 363-pound warhead did in fact detonate upon impact[1]. Regardless, the impact of the missile and the burning rocket motor set Sheffield ablaze. Accounts suggest that the initial impact of the missile immediately crippled the ship's onboard electricity generating systems and fractured the water main, preventing the anti-fire mechanisms from operating effectively, and thereby dooming the ship to be consumed by the raging fire. It is also suggested that the ship's anti-missile radar was incompatible with the satellite communications link which reduced the chance of the Exocet being intercepted, although neither the Type 965 radar nor the Sea Dart missiles carried by Type 42s are particularly well suited to intercepts of low-flying missiles.

After the ship was struck, her crew, waiting to be rescued, sang "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

The burnt-out hulk was taken in tow by the Rothesay class frigate Yarmouth but was scuttled at 53°04'S, 56°56' W on 10 May 1982 because of bad weather turning the ship into a waterlogged hulk, making it the first Royal Navy vessel sunk in action in almost forty years. Twenty of her crew (mainly on duty in the Galley-area) died during the attack. The wreck is a war grave and designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

The sinking of the Sheffield is sometimes blamed on a superstructure made wholly or partially from aluminium, the melting point and ignition temperature of which are significantly lower than those of steel. However, this is incorrect as the Sheffield's superstructure was made entirely of steel. The confusion is related to the US and British Navies abandoning aluminium after several fires in the 1970s involving ships that had aluminium superstructures. The sinking of the Type 21 frigates HMS Antelope and Ardent, both of which had aluminium superstructures, probably also had an effect on this belief though these cases are disputed. In both cases, it is likely the ships would have been lost in any event, due to amount of explosives involved in such small ships, though aluminium fires did break out. Ardent in particular took a severe pounding, suffering eleven bomb hits, five of which exploded; no ship of her type of any era would have been able to survive such an attack. The fires on these ships did result in one clear change, which was the shift away from the nylon and synthetic fabrics then worn by British sailors. The synthetics had a tendency to melt on to the skin causing more severe burns than if the crew had been wearing non-synthetic clothing. The official report into the sinking of Sheffield, recently disclosed under UK Freedom of Information laws after an extensive campaign by ex-RN personnel , severely criticised the ship's fire-fighting equipment, training and procedures and certain members of the crew

Roll of Honour

The 20 sailors killed when the HMS Sheffield was hit by the Exocet missile.

Petty Officer David R. Briggs, D.S.M.

Catering Assistant Darryl M. Cope

Lieutenant Commander David I. Balfour

Weapons Engineering Artificer Andrew C. Eggington

Sub-Lieutenant Richard C. Emly

Petty Officer Cook Robert Fagan

Cook Neil A. Goodall

Leading Marine Engineering Mechanic Allan J. Knowles

Laundryman Lai Chi Keung

Leading Cook Tony Marshall

Petty Officer Anthony R. Norman

Cook David E. Osborne

Weapons Engineering Artificer Kevin R. F. Sullivan

Cook Andrew C. Swallow

Acting Chief Weapons Mechanic Michael E. G. Till

Weapons Engineering Mechanic Barry J. Wallis

Leading Cook Adrian K. Wellstead

Master-at-Arms Brian Welsh

WEO Lieutenant Commander John S. Woodhead, D.S.C.

Cook Kevin J. Williams

HMS Sheffield (F96)

Laid down: 29 March 1984

Launched: 26 March 1986

Commissioned: 26 July 1988

Decommissioned: 5 November 2002

Fate: Sold to Chile on 4 September 2003

HMS Sheffield (F96) was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was originally intended to be named Bruiser but was named Sheffield in honour of the previous Sheffield (D80), a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War. She was sold to Chile on 4 September 2003 and renamed Almirante Williams.

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http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-1-1173360027.jpghttp://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/uploads/monthly_03_2007/post-1-1173360039.jpg

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Guest Shaun Gisby

my father was on the Invincible at the time sheffield was hit and he was part of the rescue team along with Prince Andrew, he also served on the sheefild prior to his Transfer to the Invincible. i do have a picture of my dad on the sheffield 2:40 minutes after it was hit nr the impact point i'll have to dig it out

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my father was on the Invincible at the time sheffield was hit and he was part of the rescue team along with Prince Andrew, he also served on the sheefild prior to his Transfer to the Invincible. i do have a picture of my dad on the sheffield 2:40 minutes after it was hit nr the impact point i'll have to dig it out

I seem to remember representatives from our school (and I was not chosen to be one of them this time!!) going on a trip to Barrow in Furness in the early 1970's to watch the launch of the "new" HMS Sheffield, the one which ultimately was sunk during the Falklands conflict. Did anyone else go to this launch? any pictures?

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Guest Shaun Gisby

i am uploading my picture from That Fatefull day she was hit. in the mean time here is the report of that day from a HMS Yarmouth crew member.

4th May

1415 Action stations

1416 Aircraft 270° - 30 miles

1420 200° - 20 miles

1421 200° - 18 miles

1421 SHAR firing missiles

1426 SHEFFIELD hit by possible Exocet

1427 Air red

1428 Told by HERMES to join SHEFFIELD we ring on full ahead. ARROW has been told to join

1431 SHEFFIELD definitely hit by an Exocet

1432 De-arming 456 (our Wasp helicopter)

1435 Surface contact red 155

1437 Zippo 1 flash on the horizon

1437 Fired chaff Delta

1438 From GLAMORGAN 242° missile (Exocet)

1438 Action mortar

1440 from GLAMORGAN 120° hostile

1441 Exocet passed over YARMOUTH

1443 Flash ½ a mile astern of ALACRITY

1443 Flash on the horizon

1444 Hard right fired chaff

1449 2 contacts 240° - 30 miles

1452 Submarine sighted 245° from GLASGOW on surface

1505 456 to SHEFFIELD

1509 SHEFFIELD hit amidships starboard side - considerable damaged

1510 Burgler 240° , CAP from INVINCIBLE

1515 456 from SHEFFIELD with casualty

1517 Yarmouth and ARROW assisting SHEFFIELD

1527 Torpedo 050° from ARROW

1527 Action mortar

1528 Sonar contact

1529 Torpedo 060° from ARROW

1530 Mortar fired

1531 Request air assets am under torpedo attack

1531 Torpedo, mortar fired

1531 Riser 030°

1532 Torpedo 060° mortar fired

1539 Smoke on the horizon green 30

1549 Torpedo mortar fired

1550 Sea king closing torpedo launch area

1550 Torpedo 090° from ARROW mortar fired

1554 Torpedo 200° from Arrow

1554 Torpedo 320°

1600 Mortar fired

1600 Stream unifoxer

1601 Attacker contact green 65

1601 Action mortar

1602 Due to the amount of mortar bombs fired we come down to firing only one bomb at a time.

1602 Cease fire mortar (have fired 24 bombs)

1605 Torpedo 310° from ARROW

1611 Sonar contact 299° - 1000x from ARROW possible submarine

1612 Torpedo green 50

1613 Torpedo 010° from ARROW

1621 Torpedo 180° from ARROW

1642 Air yellow

1645 Torpedo 030°

1646 No HE on 030°

1726 Lines passed to SHEFFIELD

1735 Fire in SHEFFIELD getting out of hand

1735 HE contact 210°

1742 Surface contact red 20

1745 SHEFFIELD abandoning ship lines slipped

1747 Prepare to receive SHEFFIELD’s ships company by helo

1747 We check our ship's side as it is getting very warm

1749 Submarine contact 295° - 9 miles HELO

1800 456 Vetac submarine 240° - 4000x

1806 456 requires 2 more Mk 46 torpedoes

1807 Torpedo 090° coming towards us - seen by 456

1809 Mortar fired

1810 Torpedo from ARROW

1815 Stop to pick up survivors, 6 in number

1822 Survivors picked up

1825 I/C intends ARROW to sink SHEFFIELD by gun fire. YARMOUTH to provide ASW cover

1844 Aircraft 298° - 100 miles (4)

1845 Air red

1901 Air yellow

2020 ARROW and YARMOUTH have received 225 survivors from SHEFFIELD

2017 SHEFFIELD still floating, fire seems to be abating

2141 Fall out

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Found this photo the other day, HMS Sheffield at Barrow in Furness

OK I can see why the school didn't want to take me and you to Barrow in Furness to see the launch. They had a hell of a job keeping us under control at Cayton Bay so another trip out would have had them wondering what we would get up to instead of watching HMS Sheffield take to the water.

Nice photo though Stuart, pity we didn't get to see this for real.

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Guest tsavo

I collect Warships Pictures and have two off the Sheffield enjoy

Somewhere in the UK I have pics of the original Sheffield's crew sitting on the gun turrets and the official programme and order of service for the commisioning ceremony of the second Sheffield in Portsmouth dockyard. Will try and locate them when I'm over next time. I spent a full day on her and will admit to shedding a tear when she was hit.

Thanks for the pictures.

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While not strictly a topic about the city itself I thought a history of the Ships that proudly carried our city's name would be of interest.

Three Royal Navy warships have been named HMS Sheffield after the city and county borough of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

HMS Sheffield (C24)

Built by Vickers Armstrong, Tyne. Laid Down 31st January 1935.

Launched 23rd July 1936. Completed 25th August 1937. Paid off 1959.

Reserve 1960-1966. Broken up by Shipbreaking Industries, Faslane, 1967.

War service

At the outbreak of war, Sheffield served with the 18th Cruiser Squadron, patrolling the Denmark Straits and then, in April 1940, she was engaged in the Norway campaign. After a short spell carrying out anti-invasion duties in the English Channel, she joined Force H, based in Gibraltar. During that time, she operated in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic until the year's end.

In 1941, she participated in the shelling of Genoa (9 February), operations against Vichy convoys and supporting air reinforcements to Malta. In May, Sheffield took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, narrowly escaping a friendly fire torpedo attack by HMS Ark Royal's Fairey Swordfish aircraft. On 12 June, she located and sunk one of Bismarck's tankers, the Friedrich Breme. After the destruction of another German supply ship, the Kota Penang in early October (with HMS Kenya), Sheffield returned to Britain.

Post-war

The refit was completed in May 1946 and Sheffield alternated between duties in the West Indies (where in 1954 she served as flagship of the 8th Cruiser Squadron) and in home waters and the Mediterranean. There were further refits in 1949/50 and 1954. She went into reserve in January 1959 and became flagship of the Home Fleet until September 1964, when she was placed on the disposal list.

Her equipment was removed at Rosyth in 1967 and the was then broken up at Faslane in the same year. The stainless steel ship's bell, which was made by Hadfield's of Sheffield, was preserved and today hangs in Sheffield Cathedral along with her battle ensign.

She was occupied on Arctic convoys until hitting a mine off Iceland on 3 March 1942 and was under repair until July. After more Arctic convoys, Sheffield joined the forces supporting the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch) in November. In December, Sheffield and Jamaica formed "Force R", under the command of Rear-Admiral Robert L. Burnett (in Sheffield), which provided cover for convoy JW51B. The convoy was attacked by a strong German surface force, but, in the ensuing action (Battle of the Barents Sea), the Germans withdrew and Sheffield sank the German destroyer Friedrich Ekholdt.

In February 1943, Sheffield moved to operate in the Bay of Biscay and, in July and August, she supported the landings at Salerno (Operation Avalanche). Returning yet again to the Arctic, she took part in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst off the north coast of Norway, in late December.

In 1944, Sheffield was an escort for the Royal Navy carrier force that executed a series of air attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz, between April and August. These had limited success and reponsibility was passed to the Royal Air Force.

A lengthy refit in Boston and in Britain kept Sheffield out of action until after the end of the war.

HMS Sheffield (D80)

Laid down: 15 January 1970

Launched: 10 June 1971

Commissioned: 16 February 1975

Fate: Sunk on 10 May 1982 after Argentine air attack on 4 May 1982 during Falklands War

HMS Sheffield (D80) was the second Royal Navy ship to bear the name Sheffield, after the city of Sheffield in Yorkshire. She was a Type 42 Guided Missile Destroyer laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering at Barrow-in-Furness on 15 January 1970, launched on 10 June 1971 and commissioned on 16 February 1975.

The ship was part of the Task Force sent to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. She was struck by an Exocet cruise missile fired by a French-made Dassault Super �tendard belonging to the Argentine Navy on 4 May 1982 and finally scuttled on the 10 May 1982.

The sinking of HMS Sheffield

At approximately 10 A.M. on the 4 May, HMS Sheffield was at defence watches, second degree readiness, as part of the British Task Force dispatched to the Falkland Islands during the Falklands War. Sheffield had relieved her sister Coventry as the latter was having technical trouble with her Type 965 radar. Sheffield and Coventry were chatting over UHF. Communications ceased until an unidentified message was received stating simply "Sheffield is hit!". The flagship, Hermes dispatched the escorts Arrow and Yarmouth to investigate, and a helicopter was launched. Confusion reigned until Sheffield's Lynx helicopter unexpectedly landed aboard Hermes carrying the Air Operations Officer and Operations Officer, confirming the disaster.

Sheffield picked up the incoming missile on her ancient Type 965 radar (an interim fitting until the Type 1022 set was available), and the Operations Officer informed the Missile Director, who queried the contact in the ADAWS 4 fire control system[1]. The launch aircraft had not been detected as the British had expected, and it was not until smoke was sighted that the target was confirmed as a sea skimming missile. Five seconds later, the Exocet impacted Sheffield amidships. Such was the lack of warning, there was no time to engage in defensive manoeuvres, leading to a change in policy that all ships believing to be even possibly under missile attack would turn toward the threat, accelerate to maximum speed and fire chaff to prevent a ship being caught defenceless again.

The Exocet was fired from one of two Super �tendards launched from R�o Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and was piloted by Captain Augusto Bedacarratz, who commanded the mission. It was launched at the point-blank range of six miles; the British had expected it to be launched from long range (45 miles) at medium altitude, hence the difficulty in classifying it and taking effective countermeasures. It struck amidships, approximately 8 feet above the waterline on Deck 2, tearing a gash 4 feet by 10 feet in size in the vicinity of the galley[1], which occupied the full width of the hull.

The MOD report into the sinking of the Sheffield concluded that; "Evidence indicates that the Warhead did not detonate" [2]. Some of the crew and members of the Task Force believe however that the missile's 363-pound warhead did in fact detonate upon impact[1]. Regardless, the impact of the missile and the burning rocket motor set Sheffield ablaze. Accounts suggest that the initial impact of the missile immediately crippled the ship's onboard electricity generating systems and fractured the water main, preventing the anti-fire mechanisms from operating effectively, and thereby dooming the ship to be consumed by the raging fire. It is also suggested that the ship's anti-missile radar was incompatible with the satellite communications link which reduced the chance of the Exocet being intercepted, although neither the Type 965 radar nor the Sea Dart missiles carried by Type 42s are particularly well suited to intercepts of low-flying missiles.

After the ship was struck, her crew, waiting to be rescued, sang "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

The burnt-out hulk was taken in tow by the Rothesay class frigate Yarmouth but was scuttled at 53�04'S, 56�56' W on 10 May 1982 because of bad weather turning the ship into a waterlogged hulk, making it the first Royal Navy vessel sunk in action in almost forty years. Twenty of her crew (mainly on duty in the Galley-area) died during the attack. The wreck is a war grave and designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

The sinking of the Sheffield is sometimes blamed on a superstructure made wholly or partially from aluminium, the melting point and ignition temperature of which are significantly lower than those of steel. However, this is incorrect as the Sheffield's superstructure was made entirely of steel. The confusion is related to the US and British Navies abandoning aluminium after several fires in the 1970s involving ships that had aluminium superstructures. The sinking of the Type 21 frigates HMS Antelope and Ardent, both of which had aluminium superstructures, probably also had an effect on this belief though these cases are disputed. In both cases, it is likely the ships would have been lost in any event, due to amount of explosives involved in such small ships, though aluminium fires did break out. Ardent in particular took a severe pounding, suffering eleven bomb hits, five of which exploded; no ship of her type of any era would have been able to survive such an attack. The fires on these ships did result in one clear change, which was the shift away from the nylon and synthetic fabrics then worn by British sailors. The synthetics had a tendency to melt on to the skin causing more severe burns than if the crew had been wearing non-synthetic clothing. The official report into the sinking of Sheffield, recently disclosed under UK Freedom of Information laws after an extensive campaign by ex-RN personnel , severely criticised the ship's fire-fighting equipment, training and procedures and certain members of the crew

Roll of Honour

The 20 sailors killed when the HMS Sheffield was hit by the Exocet missile.

Petty Officer David R. Briggs, D.S.M.

Catering Assistant Darryl M. Cope

Lieutenant Commander David I. Balfour

Weapons Engineering Artificer Andrew C. Eggington

Sub-Lieutenant Richard C. Emly

Petty Officer Cook Robert Fagan

Cook Neil A. Goodall

Leading Marine Engineering Mechanic Allan J. Knowles

Laundryman Lai Chi Keung

Leading Cook Tony Marshall

Petty Officer Anthony R. Norman

Cook David E. Osborne

Weapons Engineering Artificer Kevin R. F. Sullivan

Cook Andrew C. Swallow

Acting Chief Weapons Mechanic Michael E. G. Till

Weapons Engineering Mechanic Barry J. Wallis

Leading Cook Adrian K. Wellstead

Master-at-Arms Brian Welsh

WEO Lieutenant Commander John S. Woodhead, D.S.C.

Cook Kevin J. Williams

HMS Sheffield (F96)

Laid down: 29 March 1984

Launched: 26 March 1986

Commissioned: 26 July 1988

Decommissioned: 5 November 2002

Fate: Sold to Chile on 4 September 2003

HMS Sheffield (F96) was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was originally intended to be named Bruiser but was named Sheffield in honour of the previous Sheffield (D80), a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War. She was sold to Chile on 4 September 2003 and renamed Almirante Williams.

My family and myself were at at Sheffield Cathedral yesterday afternoon to remember the dead and injured of HMS Sheffield in the Falklands conflict. We were surprised just how few people attended.

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<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LqV4YKMMkUk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Guest mavericklady

OK I can see why the school didn't want to take me and you to Barrow in Furness to see the launch. They had a hell of a job keeping us under control at Cayton Bay so another trip out would have had them wondering what we would get up to instead of watching HMS Sheffield take to the water.

Nice photo though Stuart, pity we didn't get to see this for real.

If you ever make it to Barrow you will be pleased to know there is a pub named the Sheffield, in respect to the ship that was lost with 20 crew in the Falklands. My brother who was serving with the Avenger at the time which was on its way down there, he said the shock when the news came through was unbelievable and strengthened their resolve to get down as quickly as they could to help their comrades on other ships already there. Thankfully my brother came safely home, but we must never forget the ones who didn't. Good to see pic of launch of HMS Sheffield, which as you know was Barrow built and has of course got great ties with the town and the shipyard workers who built her.

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If you ever make it to Barrow you will be pleased to know there is a pub named the Sheffield, in respect to the ship that was lost with 20 crew in the Falklands. My brother who was serving with the Avenger at the time which was on its way down there, he said the shock when the news came through was unbelievable and strengthened their resolve to get down as quickly as they could to help their comrades on other ships already there. Thankfully my brother came safely home, but we must never forget the ones who didn't. Good to see pic of launch of HMS Sheffield, which as you know was Barrow built and has of course got great ties with the town and the shipyard workers who built her.

Welcome to Sheffield History mavericklady and thank you for posting.

Unfortunately, 41 years on and with my own transport available I still haven't been to Barrow in Furness. Must add it to my list of places to go.

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Many years ago Enid Hattersley used to come into the place I worked. She always liked a chat, and one day told us a tale about HMS Sheffield. It seems when she was Lord Mayor, the ship paid a courtesy call to Hull, and by tradition, the crew received a visit from the Lord Mayor, who in turn entertained the crew to dinner at the Town Hall.

So when Enid visited the ship, she invited the whole ship's crew to dinner. The captain explained that only half the crew could attend, as half had to be on board at all times. "Alright" said Enid," we'll have two dinners on consecutive nights so everyone can come."

Later she told this story to a group of journalists, and finished by saying "And do you know on those two evenings I had the whole ship's crew!" at which point the room collapsed.

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Today marks the 30th aniversary of HMS Sheffield, in the Falklands campaign.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-17944333

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Remember it as if it was yesterday. 20 lives lost lets hope never to be forgotten

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Hi All

If anyone is interested, Specialised mover have bought the commissioning model hand built to comemorate the building of the type 42 frigate,

It has been retuned home from a long stay in Glasgow, the model builder delivered it to our office on Friday and after a long chat he has agreed to build us the Shinny Sheff WW2 Battle ship and the ship sank in the Falklands, the 2 frigates are 6 ft long and outstanding and the battleship will be 11ft long it is believed it will be the only collection to be able to display all3 ships together,

But at present we only have the last Sheffield and the project for the build of the other 2 could take 9 months

But it's Specialised Movers intention to offer these for display in prominent building in Sheffield in honour of the seamen and sailors who lost there life throughout all conflicts and especially in the Falklands

Any further information contact Nigel Shaw the owner of Specialised Movers 07801134191 or if you want some pictures email and I will return nigel@specialisedmovers.com

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What a wonderful model and what a nice idea. Sheffield Cathedral has an interesting modern monument to H>M>S Sheffield and the Town Hall also had memorabilia.

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Straying slightly off topic.When the Sheffield was hit in 1982,the BBC showed a video of the inside of the Shiny Sheff pub.My mum & late dad were on this video.Does anyone know where I could view it again?

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Hi All

Who would like to see the 45th scale model of the Shinny Sheff, (12.6 ft long) this Saturday it will be delivered to our Depot Specialised Movers and we will be the proud owners to display her with the Type 22 frigate F96 built to replace the Sheffield tragicly sank in the Falkland, I have bought these 2 ships over the last 3 years and the commissioning model builder take up to 18 months to build one

they are stunning give me a call 07801134191post-21809-0-78634900-1403071933_thumb.jpost-21809-0-33244000-1403071966_thumb.jsheffield-01.thumb.jpg.252427778c4263156

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