HMS Glasgow ( D88 ) HMS " Glasgow " was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy . The last of the Batch 1 Type 42 destoyers , " Glasgow " was commissioned in 1977 . The destroyer fought during the Falklands War , and on 12 May 1982 was damaged by a bomb from an Argentine A - 4 Skyhawk . " Glasgow " operated with the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce in 1999 , and was deployed on the Atlantic Patrol South tasking in 2004 . The destroyer was decommissioned in 2005 , and was broken up for scrap in 2009 Design and construction . She was built at Swan Hunter Shipyard in Wallsend , Tyneside and launched on 14 April 1976 by Lady Kirstie Treacher , wife of Admiral Sir John Treacher . With a displacement of 4 , 820 tonnes , " Glasgow " is the sixth and last Batch 1 Type 42 Destroyer in the Fleet . Named after the Scottish city of Glasgow , she is the eighth ship to bear the name . On 23 September 1976 , while being fitted out , a fire on board killed eight men and injured a further six . The ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 May 1977 . There is a more information and stories about HMS Glasgow where further details of her Falklands exploits can be found . Operational history . Falklands War . " Glasgow " was among five Type 42 destroyers sent as part of the Task Force sent to retake the Falkland Islands after invasion by Argentina in 1982 . Armed with Sea Dart anti - aircraft missile system , " Glasgow " along with her sister ships , and were among the first ships to arrive in a exclusion zone imposed by the British around the islands . " Glasgow " saw early action in the war when , on 2 May , her Lynx helicopter badly damaged the Argentine naval vessel " Alferez Sobral " . On 4 May , " Glasgow " detected an Exocet missile fired at the Task Force and warned the fleet . However " Sheffield " failed to receive the warning and was hit , later sinking . Down to two Type 42s ( and would not arrive until the end of May ) , " Glasgow " and " Coventry " were left to long range defence of the fleet . On 12 May , " Glasgow " and the Type 22 frigate were on a " 42 - 22 " combo ; " Glasgow " s Sea Dart long range missiles would complement " Brilliant " s short range Sea Wolf missiles on anti - aircraft attacks . The ships attracted the attention of the Argentine Air Force , and a wave of four A - 4B Skyhawk jets of " Grupo 5 " attacked . Although " Glasgow " s Sea Dart system failed , " Brilliant " s Sea Wolf shot down 1st Lt Oscar Bustos ( C - 246 ) and Lt Jorge Ibarlucea ( C - 208 ) , whilst Lt Mario Nivoli ( C - 206 ) crashed into the sea evading a missile . All three pilots died in the action . When a second wave of " Grupo 5 " Skyhawks attacked , " Brilliant " Sea Wolf failed and the jets each released three bombs . One bomb from Skyhawk ( C - 248 ) piloted by Lt Gavazzi , damaged " Glasgow " , although it did not explode , passing clean through the aft engine room , damaging fuel systems and disabling the two Tyne cruise engines . On his returning flight , Lt Gavazzi was shot down by friendly fire over Goose Green and killed . His bomb had hit the rear of the ship just above the waterline on the port side ; the ship manoeuvered in a tight circle to keep the area exposed while damage control teams plugged the hole . The ship returned home in a reversionary propulsion mode and was repaired in Portsmouth dockyard , returning to the South Atlantic in August 1982 , after the end of the war . Post - war . In later years , " Glasgow " served on a variety of missions . " Glasgow " was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian - led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 19 to 29 September 1999 . In early 2004 , the ship was deployed on the Atlantic Patrol South tasking . Decommissioning and fate . It was announced in July 2004 , as part of the " Delivering Security in a Changing World " review , that " Glasgow " would be decommissioned in January 2005 . " Glasgow " was finally decommissioned on 1 February 2005 . On 7 January 2009 , the ship was towed to Turkey for breaking up .