A trial shoot against HMS Rapid.

On the 16^th October 1975 HMS Bristol carried out a surface-to-surface test firing of a Sea Dart missile at the Aberporth test facility.  The target was the destroyer HMS Rapid, moored 17187 yards away at 280°, the sea state was between 1 and 2 and the wind speed was 10Kts.
The launcher was on a bearing of 105°Red (ie to port) and the missile was launched at 16:18 at at elevation of 28·5°.  The missile was an operational round, serial JZ35, with a weight of 1208lbs at launch and approximately 600lbs at impact.  As intended, the fuze and warhead were not armed.
The missile struck HMS Rapid at 2200 feet per second on the waterline between frames 38 and 39, just above N^o3 deck, and exploded just after impact.  The missile may have skidded down the ship's side plating before catching on the first of three half-round rubbing bands and penetrating the hull.
A large hole was blown in the side of the ship, and had N^o1 boiler room bulkhead not remained intact and watertight the ship would have foundered.  A target of this size would have ceased to be able to continue fighting.

Source: The National Archives file ADM 281/326.

Return to the Sea Dart page.
Return to the Other Missiles page.
Return to the Seaslug main page.
Return to the Home page.
Comments to: seaslug@littlewars.org.uk.
Last updated: 5^th October 2020.
Copyright SR Jenkins, September 2020