RFA Argus is the tenth British Naval Ship to bear the name.  The first recorded Argus was a 14 gun lugger in the late 18th century.  The earliest Argus of the 20th century was one of the world’s first aircraft carriers; a conversion from an Italian cargo and passenger liner in 1917.  Today, RFA Argus continues in the same tradition, being a helicopter carrier converted from an Italian-built merchant ship.

The name Argus comes from Greek mythology.  Argus was called Panoptes (all-seeing), from having eyes all over his body.  He was appointed by Hera to watch over the cow to which Io had been transformed and, whilst doing this, he was slain by Hermes.  Hera, angry at the death of her watchman, took the eyes of Argus to decorate her favourite bird, the Peacock.  Argus, with his countless eyes, originally denoted the starry heavens.  This is the origin of RFA Argus’ crest, a golden peacock, and her motto “Occuli Omnium” meaning “Eyes of All”.  This was especially relevant to the Argus of 1917, when aircraft were becoming “the eyes of the fleet”.

RFA Argus was originally launched in 1981 as the commercially owned and operated Contender Bezant, a combination freight, roll on and roll off ferry (RORO) and container ship.  She was one of the ships taken up from trade by the MoD for use in the 1982 Falklands War.  During this she was utilised as an aircraft transport, ferrying helicopters and harriers on deck.  Following purchase by the MoD in 1985 she was converted to an aviation training ship at the shipyard of Harland & Wolff, Belfast, with the addition of extended accommodation, a flight deck, aircraft lifts and naval radar and communications suites.  She is now effectively an aviation support ship operating aircraft from her former container deck with the RORO vehicle deck converted to an aircraft hangar.  A Primary Casualty Receiving Facility was added before Argus was sent to participate in the 1991 Gulf War.  Another role of RFA Argus is that of RORO vehicle transport with vehicles carried in the hangar and on the flight deck, a role she performed in support of United Nations operations in the former Yugoslavia.  During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Argus was again present in the Persian Gulf as an offshore hospital for coalition troops, earning the nickname “BUPA Baghdad”. 

Although she carries a hospital facility, Argus is a “Primary Casualty Receiving Facility” and not a “Hospital Ship” as she does not meet the definition given by the Geneva Convention for such a unit.  This was a deliberate decision by the MoD to give Argus greater operational flexibility.  As a hospital ship she would be unable to simultaneously perform other logistics roles in support of military operations, or return troops back to theatre.  It also gives the Argus the ability to operate much closer to the front line therefore shortening any time it takes for casualties to reach the Ship.  When operating in a PCRF role, Argus embarks 250 hospital staff including doctors, nurses, medical assistants and Royal Marine bandsmen.  The bandsmen are not present as musicians, but to act as stretcher bearers and casualty handlers.  In the hospital facility there are four operating theatre tables, 10 intensive care beds, 20 high dependency beds and 70 general ward beds.  Argus is also one of the only Ships in the world to have a CT scanner.  She also has digital x-ray equipment and comprehensive laboratory facilities.