Type 82 destroyer

The Type 82 or Bristol-class destroyer was a 1960s guided missile destroyer design intended to replace s in the Royal Navy. Originally eight warships were planned to provide area air-defence for the four planned CVA-01 aircraft carriers. They would also have been able to operate independently as modern cruisers "East of Suez". Anti-aircraft capability was provided by the new Sea Dart missile system and the class also had anti-submarine capability. They were expected to serve as a group of four Type 82s forming the outer escort of the carrier with four "Broad Beam" Leander-class frigates as the inner escort. The CVA-01s were all cancelled by 1966, eliminating one of the main roles for the class and removing the need for such a large warship. In its place a smaller design carrying Sea Dart for air defence entered service as the Type 42 destroyer. One Type 82, , was ordered to act as a testbed for the various technologies to be used on future ships. Sometimes described as a "light cruiser", she was officially classified as a destroyer. The CVA-01 aircraft carrier project was cancelled in the 1966 Defence White Paper, eliminating the requirement for the Type 82 class. Nevertheless, one hull of the original four was ordered on 4 October 1966 for use as a testbed for new technologies. HMS Bristol was laid down in 1967, featuring four new systems: The Sea Dart missile that would later be fitted in the Type 42 destroyers and s. The Ikara anti-submarine weapon, later fitted to some s. A new 113 mm 4.5-inch Mk 8 gun. The advanced Action Data Automation Weapons System Mk.2 (ADAWS-2), a computer system designed to coordinate the ship's weapons and sensors. The latter feature, although not externally apparent, was perhaps the most pioneering of the design; a leap forward from the rudimentary action information system of the "Counties" and its heavy reliance on manual data input. The Type 82 was followed into service by the smaller Type 42 destroyer that featured the same Sea Dart missile, 113 mm Mark 8 gun and integrated ADAWS.