HMS Ardent – Launched in Honour, Remembered in Brotherhood
50 years ago, on 9 May 1975, HMS Ardent (F184) was launched with ceremony and pride at Yarrow Shipbuilders on the River Clyde. Her bow was christened by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester. Sleek, modern, and full of promise, ARDENT was the seventh of the Royal Navy’s new Type 21 frigates destined for global service.
Just seven years later, in May 1982, Ardent was lost in action during the Falklands Conflict, under fierce attack during the Battle of Falkland Sound while protecting the landings at San Carlos. Twenty-two brave shipmates were lost that day.
Their names and the ship they served have never been forgotten.
Today, 43 years after her sinking, the HMS Ardent Association, formed by her surviving crew, remains active. Members will gather again in Plymouth this late May bank holiday to remember and honour their fallen shipmates. With Admiral Lord West, ARDENT’s captain in 1982, as President and HRH The Duchess of Gloucester continuing as Patron in 2025, the bond forged in war has endured in peace.
Launched in honour, lost in battle, Ardent lives on in memory and the unbreakable brotherhood of her crew.
