Type 42 destroyer

The Type 42, also called the Sheffield class, was a class of guided-missile destroyers built to give the Royal Navy a cost-effective, medium-sized fleet air defence ship armed with the Sea Dart missile. It was conceived in the late 1960s after the cancellation of the larger Type 82 destroyers and the CVA-01 carrier, and the ships were built in three batches, with two further ships built for the Argentine Navy. The small design saved cost but limited endurance, sea-keeping and room for later weapons, so the later batches were lengthened. Swan Hunter at Wallsend built several of the Royal Navy hulls, including Newcastle and Glasgow of the first batch, Exeter of the second batch and York, the last Type 42 ordered. Two ships, Sheffield and Coventry, were lost in the 1982 Falklands War, which led to changes in damage control and fittings. All were powered by Olympus and Tyne gas turbines, and the class was replaced by the Type 45 destroyer, ending in 2013. This entry covers the class as a whole, with Swan Hunter as the make of its Wallsend-built hulls.