A brief look at @RFAArgus

Argus is an old lady with an interesting history. For almost 40 years, she’s quietly gone about her business with little public recognition and (it appears) little political impetus to replace her

Originally built in Italy as MV Contender Bezant, a combined RoRo/general cargo/container ship in 1981.

In 1982, she became one of the many STUFT (ships taken up from trade) due to the Falklands crisis. She was rapidly fitted with a Chinook capable flight deck and a limited version of the US ARAPAHO containerised aircraft hangar/maintenance system
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1973.tb03552.x

Departing Devonport in May, she arrived in the Falklands in June, a few days after the end of the war. She was then returned to her original role and returned to her owners in November 1982. She then appeared to be laid up on the River Blackwater in Essex

She was purchased outright in March 1984 for £18m by Harland & Wolff in Belfast for resale to the MoD as an Aviation Training Ship to replace RFA Engadine. The conversion would take 4 years and cost £45m
First pic is Engadine, the second Contender Bezant is at the top of the pic

Her superstructure is built deliberately heavy (800 tons) and a further 1800 tons of concrete poured into her upturned hatch covers to counteract the lost weight of cargo. This improved her “empty” sea keeping. The hold became a hangar and exhausts rerouted into a single funnel

Accepted in 1988, she began her role as Aviation Training Ship. Her flight deck was marked to simulate any RN class including a smaller space a aft the funnel to replicate a frigate/destroyer. Two aircraft lifts descended into the hangar. This continued until 1990

During the Gulf War of 1991, she was a Casualty Evacuation ship and fitted with a fully functioning hospital. She saw service in 1993 and 1999 supporting operations in Bosnia and Kosovo operating as part LPH. Her unsuitability for this role was a factor in HMS Ocean being built

She undertook a 10 month refit at Falmouth costing £37m.
The refit is described here

In 2013 she was host to Brad Pitt in the movie World War Z, portraying USS Argus

In October 2014 she was in Sierra Leone, where her ships company, medical staff and aircraft undoubtedly saved many lives during the Ebola outbreak. She remained until March 2015

Now, Argus, 3 Merlins, a Wildcat, her impressive medical facilities, expertise that is second to none is on her way to the Caribbean in preparation for hurricane season and to assist with the Covid19 pandemic. I think that we all hope that her unique abilities are not required