HMS Coventry (D118)

HMS Coventry (D118) was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was commissioned in 1978 and sunk during the Falklands War in 1982.

Coventry was part of the task force sent to the South Atlantic following the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. She initially served as an air defence picket, positioned to provide early warning of incoming Argentine aircraft. She was equipped with Sea Dart surface-to-air missiles.

On May 25, 1982, while acting as a decoy further north, Coventry was attacked by two Argentine A-4 Skyhawks. She was struck by three bombs and quickly capsized. Nineteen of her crew were killed in the attack.

The wreck of HMS Coventry remains in the Falkland Sound and is designated as a protected war grave. Her loss highlighted the vulnerability of Type 42 destroyers to low-level air attack and led to modifications to later ships of the class. A replica of HMS Coventry’s ship’s bell is on display in Coventry Cathedral, serving as a memorial to the ship and her lost crew.