RFA Argus (A135)

With a 100-bed medical complex on board, RFA Argus is a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Role

Commanded by Captain Richard Davies, the principal role of RFA Argus is to serve as a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship. She has a fully equipped 100-bed medical complex on board, which includes an emergency department, resuscitation and surgical facilities, and a radiology suite complete with a CT scanner.

The personnel of RFA Argus boast more than 40 different medical and surgical specialities and are drawn from the MOD Hospital Units and Royal Marines Band Service.

Casualty class

Unit history

1981

Ship launching

RFA Argus was originally launched in 1981 as the commercially owned and operated Contender Bezant, a combination freight, Roll on Roll off ferry (RORO) and container ship.

1982

Falklands war

RFA Argus is one of the ships taken up from trade (STUFT) by the MOD for use in the 1982 Falklands War. During this period, she is used as an aircraft transport, ferrying aircraft on deck.

1985

Conversion to aviation training ship

In 1985 she was converted to an aviation training ship at Harland & Wolff, Belfast, with extended accommodation, a flight deck, aircraft lifts and naval radar communications suites.

2009

Change of role

Argus’s principal role changes to that of a Primary Casualty Receiving Ship in 2009. During the subsequent refit, a ramp for casualty transport replaces one of the aircraft hangars.

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