Replies

From the Wiki page (which is a pretty good summary):

***
At approximately 10:00 on 4 May, Sheffield was at defence watches, second degree readiness, one of three Type 42 destroyers operating as a forward ASW picket for the task force, south-east of the Falklands. On some task force ships (including Sheffield) the threat from the type 209 submarine was seen as higher priority than the threat from the air. Sheffield’s radar operators had difficulty distinguishing Mirage and Super Etendard aircraft, and the destroyer may have lacked effective IFF or radar jamming.[8] HMS Glasgow, operating at high readiness, detected two Super Etendard ‘Agave’ (Exocet-capable) targets on 965M main surveillance radar, 40 nautical miles (74 km) out[9] and immediately communicated the warning codeword ‘Handbrake’ by UHF and HF to all task force ships. Sheffield had assessed the Exocet threat overrated for the previous two days, and assessed another as a false alarm (as did HMS Invincible). Sheffield apparently did not hear the incoming aircraft and missiles, detect them on its electronic support measures (ESM) sets, or see a radar contact on its screens swept by its own radar. No detections were reported via data link from Glasgow. Sheffield failed to go to action stations, launch chaff, prepare the 4.5” gun and Sea Dart missiles, or indeed take any action or even inform the captain [10] Sheffield had relieved her sister ship Coventry as the latter was having technical trouble with her type 965 radar.[11] Sheffield and Coventry were chatting over UHF. Communications ceased until an unidentified message was heard flatly stating, “Sheffield is hit.”[11]

Sheffield picked up the incoming missiles on her type 965 radar (an interim fitting until the Type 1022 set was available); the operations officer informed the missile director, who queried the contacts in the ADAWS 4 fire control system.[11] Critically, the Sheffield did not have an ECM jammer fitted[12] and lacked other critical ECM equipment, and failed to go to action stations or a heightened state of readiness, or to do anything to prepare weapons or the decoy system. The launch aircraft had not been detected as the British had expected, and it was not until smoke was sighted that the target was confirmed as sea skimming missiles. Five seconds later, an Exocet hit Sheffield amidships, approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) above the waterline on deck 2, tearing a gash in the hull.[11] The other missile splashed into the sea a half mile off her port beam.[13]

The flagship, HMS Hermes, dispatched the escorts Arrow and Yarmouth to investigate, and a helicopter was launched. Confusion reigned until Sheffield’s Lynx helicopter unexpectedly landed aboard Hermes carrying the air operations officer and operations officer,[11] confirming the strike.

Such was the lack of warning that there was no time to engage in defensive manoeuvres, leading to a change in British policy whereby any Royal Navy vessel that suspected it might be under missile attack would turn toward the threat, accelerate to maximum speed and fire chaff to prevent a ship being caught defenceless again. The codeword used to start this procedure was ‘handbrake’, which had to be broadcast once the signal of the Agave radar of the Super Étendard was picked up.[14]

The initial Ministry of Defence (MOD) Board of Inquiry on the sinking of the Sheffield concluded that, based upon available evidence, the warhead did not detonate.[15] However, some of the crew and members of the task force believed that the missile’s 165 kilograms (364 lb) warhead had detonated.[11] This was supported by a MOD re-assessment of the loss of Sheffield, which reported in summer 2015. In a paper delivered to the RINA Warship Conference in Bath in June 2015, it was concluded that the Exocet warhead did indeed detonate inside Sheffield, with the results supported by analysis using modern damage analysis tools not available in 1982 and evidence from weapon hits and trials conducted since the end of the Falklands campaign.[16]
The grave of Neil Goodall, cook on Sheffield, who died in the Argentine attack. Lavender Hill Cemetery, Enfield.

Regardless, the impact of the missile and the burning rocket motor set Sheffield ablaze. Some accounts suggest that the initial impact of the missile immediately crippled the ship’s onboard electricity generating systems, but this only affected certain parts of the ship, which caused ventilation problems. The missile strike also fractured the water main,[17] preventing the anti-fire mechanisms from operating effectively, and thereby dooming the ship to be consumed by the raging fire. The Royal Navy Court of Inquiry suggested the critical factors leading to loss of Sheffield were:

Failure to respond to HMS Glasgow’s detection and communication of two approaching Super Etendards by immediately going to action stations and launching chaff decoys;[18]
Lack of ECM jamming capability;
Lack of a point defense system;
Inadequate operator training, in particular simulated realistic low-level target acquisition.

Slow response of the available 909 Sea Dart tracking radar and its operator limited the possible response. The spread of the fire was not adequately controlled due to the presence of ignitable material coverings and lack of adequate curtains and sealing to restrict smoke and fires. Captain Salt’s handing of the ship during the four hours over which the fires were fought were not faulted, nor was his decision to abandon ship due to the risk of fires igniting the Sea Dart magazine, the exposed position to air attack of HMS Arrow and Yarmouth assisting the firefighting, and fact that the combat capability of the destroyer was irredeemably lost.

As Sheffield’s crew were waiting to be rescued, Sub-lieutenant Carrington-Wood led the crew in singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.[19]

***

Sheffield didn’t even have a CIWS system and completely relied on their Sea Dart main armament. Kinda like a lot of our Burkes, indeed a lot of our Navy does right now since our admirals were morons and removed both CIWS and RAM installations from our ships.