HMS Cardiff was the third Type 42 destroyer, launched 22nd Feb 1974. She was designed to protect a group of ships from air attack. She was commissioned Sept 1979 & decommissioned on 14th July 2005.

HMS Cardiff was involved in the Falklands war in 1982. While on route there in the Atlantic while travelling with the RN task force, she detected an Argentine military Boeing 707 aircraft which was tracking the task force`s position. HMS Cardiff opened fire at extreme range with two Sea Dart missiles which forced the Argentine aircraft to take evasive action & depart from the area to safety.

While at the Falklands she shot down an Argentine Canberra bomber which was on it`s way to bomb British forces ashore. This turned out to be the last Argentine aircraft to be destroyed, one of 45 Argentine aircraft shot down in the Falklands war, 7 of them by Sea Dart fired from Type 42 destroyers.

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