Type 42 batch I Destroyer looking severely weather battered having just returned from the South Atlantic. The weather at Portsmouth naval base was almost as bad, actually a colour photo of the best moment on a very dark rainy day. Pennant number painted out & allied vertical black line midships to destinguish the Royal Navy ships from the two Argentinian Type 42`s, Santisima Trinidad & Hercules, built for them in the mid 1970`s.

Unknown date. According to my research HMS Newcastle was in refit during the Falklands war & led a relief group of five Destroyers & Frigates to the Falklands in the autumn of 1982 after the war. She is fitted with twin 30mm guns each side of her funnel & extra single 20mm guns, to help cope with saturation attacks by aircraft. With a tour of duty of 3 months she would have returned around Christmas 1982. I believe I took the photo in the English late summer of 1983 after she returned for the 2nd time, August 1983.

Looking at the Sea Dart launcher in front of the bridge, there seems to be a live missile ( ie White ) on the launcher. ( Two Red dud missiles used for dress ).