Going critical || HMS Coventry

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HMS Coventry

Introduction | Crucial elements | Silver linings? | Find out more

Silver linings?

The sinking of HMS Coventry on 25 May 1982 had a significant impact on the theory and practice of naval warfare. The consequences of the incident were important not just for the British navy, but for navies around the world, many of which are trained by British personnel.

The main lesson gained from the sinking of HMS Coventry was that warships could not rely completely on their missile systems, no matter how sophisticated.

HMS Coventry's missile system, the Sea Dart, was an anti-aircraft system capable of firing rocket-boosted missiles that could travel at twice the speed of sound. The Sea Wolf, used by HMS Broadsword, fired anti-missile missiles. Initially designed to counter supersonic submarine-launched rockets favoured by the Soviet navy, the Sea Wolf could shoot out of the air shells fired by other ships.

Yet, on this occasion, both state-of-the-art systems failed to protect the Coventry. As a result, it was decided that close-range rapid-fire gun systems should be installed aboard warships to be used in the event that missile systems failed. The navy also developed an airborne early-warning radar system, which was able to give better notice of an attack than the radar systems on board warships.

In addition, both the Sea Dart and Sea Wolf weapons systems were upgraded. In particular, the Sea Dart's radar was improved, so that it now uses a narrower radar beam, allowing it to distinguish between incoming aircraft and any land masses behind the target.

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Introduction | Crucial elements | Silver linings? | Find out more

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