All these factors coincided with the fact that the British had little to no early-warning aircraft and had to rely on special forces, submarines, and ships onboard radar to pick up low-flying incoming aircraft. Falklands War: Survivor recalls HMS Ardent sinking - BBC News We fired 181 During the evening we embarked 4 SBS The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, councillor Gail Smith, said the the loss of HMS Sheffield was a "significant event in . Harper, Submarine Operations during the Falklands War., 5. The 58-year-old now lives in Kilmacolm, near Glasgow, with his wife Morag. We chased it round to the south of east island where we avoiding action. For the next two days, Yarmouth formed part of the protective escort for the Carriers as the group patrolled to the East of the islands enforcing the blockade. The British troops could have By Admiral Thomas B. Hayward, U.S. Navy (Retired). Have just heard that the Para's have now just taken RT @RDPHistory: April 26th 1982: As South Georgia is fully taken, the task force sails on for the #Falklands. Sunday June 6th INVASION DAY + 16 one of her shafts. 2.Harper, Submarine Operations during the Falklands War.. The Royal Navy, for its part, expended hundreds of expensive antisubmarine munitions and dispatched 2,253 helicopter sorties chasing false contactswithout detecting the San Luis on either occasion it closed within firing range. Pebble Island. Saturday June 5th INVASION DAY + 15 One was in such decrepit condition it could not safely submerge, while the more modern Salta was undergoing repairs. The survivors were completely shocked; they had only been in after being repaired. By one count, the Royal Navy had ten frigates or destroyers and a helicopter carrier assigned at least in part to antisubmarine duties, as well as six submarines on patrol. Saturday May 22nd INVASION DAY + 1 Went to action stations twice. Guess who it was, the MV Monsunen, the On 4 May, when Sheffield was hit by an Exocet missile, Yarmouth provided anti-submarine protection as Arrow attempted to fight the fire. In ATLANTIC CONVEYOR there are 12 missing. During one of these missions, she came across a small coaster whose propeller had become fouled with rope while ferrying Gurkhas and supplies to Goose Green. 1000. believe that 5 were splashed and possibly the other 4 as well. After Port Stanley had bean re-taken, Yarmouth was despatched to South Georgia, an island of glaciers and icebergs, and from there to Southern Thule to join Endurance and enforce the surrender of the Argentine contingent there. The final images of ARDENT as the crew abandoned ship can be viewed here. There are a half-dozen explanations, variously holding crew error and technical flaws culpable. Because of maintenance and lack of sea readiness, only the San Luis and Santa Fe were combat-ready during the Falklands War.1 If the ARA Salta and Santiago del Estero had been ready for sea in time for Operation Rosario, they may have been able to apply further strain and pressure on the British task forces antisubmarine warfare (ASW) assets. PASSING THROUGH ASCENSION - PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD of PEOPLE, PLACES, SHIPS, PLANES, Part 2 of 2 . The following day, the San Luis was ordered to sail for the waters around the disputed islands, and was authorized on the twenty-ninth to fire on any British warships it encountered. Here's What You Need To Remember:Real submarine warfare has been, thankfully, extremely rare since World War II. Pictured: The watery graves of 42 British servicemen Its commander, Frigate Captain Fernando Azcueta, was a submarine veteranbut did not have much experience with the Type 209 model. armed merchantman to the south-east of the Falklands. [1], Yarmouth was 370feet 0inches (112.78m) long overall and 360feet 0inches (109.73m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 41feet 0inches (12.50m) and a draught of 13feet 6inches (4.11m). the full information on all yesterdays air raids around the Islands. LSL - Landing Ship Logistics, comprising Sir Bedivere, Sir Galahad, Sir Geraint . Her served in the Navy until 2000, going on to become a lecturer in business at Carnegie College (now Fife College). This was a particularly testing, time for the two hundred and fifty men onboard as they spent the daylight hours at Action Stations, subject to frequent air attacks, and with little time for sleep at night. Last night we left the sound and RV'd with British Elk. the big push has started ashore as a tremendous amount of gear has gone ashore and there Tuesday June 15th INVASION DAY + 25 It's now 3 weeks since we re-invaded. gear up to Port San Carlos. Sunday May 30th INVASION DAY + 9 CAP shot down a C130 that had been air-launched Exocet missile fired from a Super Etendard. We fired 244 rounds and our fire was extremely We went to action stations at 0500 as we were over flown by two aircraft but no The Bidder homing torpedoes proved unsuccessful however, being too slow to catch modern submarines, and the torpedo tubes were soon removed. Armed Forces | Art and Culture | Articles | Biographies | Colonies | Discussion | Glossary | Home | Library | Links | Map Room | Sources and Media | Science and Technology | Search | Student Zone | Timelines | TV & Film | Wargames. Landing craft and Barges are ferrying again and said that the troops would be very glad to have us back tomorrow night for some Now beginning to lose all track of time and getting In 1982, the submarine would take to the seas yet again to sink enemy warships in conventional battle, but these subs were not fighting on behalf of the two superpowers of the era. when we were attacked by 3 mirage jets. rounds in total. We waited on the West. Mr Walker, 61, is now retired and lives on a smallholding in Burntisland, Fife, with his wife Marion. We then steamed back to the main group at 27 knots. One killed when the bomb entered, the disposal expert when the bomb went off and one guy They then abandoned ship. [21][22] The heavy damage and pressure on the defense budget saw HMS Yarmouth offered to the RNZN later in 1976, but the offer was rejected on account of the frigate's age.[23]. Subscribe now and never hit a limit. After dusk we left to the seariders refused to co-operate. light damage resulted, several cannon holes along the deck line and upper structure. with her Sea Wolf as she came under attack. During the NGS we These hits and sinkings are nonetheless remarkable considering the lack of training or knowledge of antishipping tactics for the Argentine pilots who flew against these heavily defended vessels. Wednesday May 5th After much diplomatic pressure from Argentinaand recognized economic and political strains in Great Britain to cut its military spending, the junta launched its invasion of the South Atlantic archipelago on 2 April 1982. These she carried out by night while by day she travelled some 200 miles back to the task force to replenish fuel and ammunition. Friday June 25th INVASION DAY + 35 However, the Royal Navy had intercepted the San Luiss communications and deployed its helicopters and frigates to hunt it down. Topped up with 4.5 ammunition and at 1600 we detached If everything goes well [12][13], Yarmouth commissioned on 24 March 1960, with the Pennant number F101, and joined the 6th Frigate Squadron of the Home Fleet as leader. She arrived off the Falklands in late April 1982 and began protective escort for the Task Force. This site uses cookies. turned out to be spurious again. As yet no news of the situation so plan is still to head Lord West recalls sinking of HMS Ardent 40 years after the Falklands This, too, was likely a whale. thought to be spurious contacts. Hands to Emergency stations was piped at about Read about our approach to external linking. On completion we returned to San Carlos Water After Sheffield had been abandoned, Yarmouth took her in tow in order to get her to a safe area. After completion of rather bored. Friday June 11th INVASION DAY + 21 He described nine hours of hand-to-hand fighting through the night, during which eight of his comrades were killed. was attacked by Exocet and Skyhawks. The luxury liner had been requisitioned for troop transport. The ship had been struck by two 1,000lb bombs and 22 lives lost. We can still see the bow section of We hit 2 However, after 29 hours the winds rose to gale force and Sheffield finally sank on 10 May at 7 am. indiscriminately and just missed us by approximately 50 yards, this was the nearest so far for training flight, all 4 were splashed. The rest of the day was very quiet. Still better safe than sorry. Plymouth was hit Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Yarmouth. Captain Salt of Sheffield, gave the order to abandon ship as the fire had come to within 12 During the night HMS HERMES took in some SBS/SAS to attack The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The 57-year-old former marine engineering mechanic remembers the constant threat of air attacks, accidentally walking through a minefield, and losing six crewmates. clear it. accurate. The Royal Navy survived and the cuts to its capabilities and size ended because of the kinetic display of its importance to maintain Britains international power. buildings. was spotted and it looked as though it was heading towards us. In any event, San Luis survived all British ASW efforts, but at the same time was unable to inflict damage on the British force because of materiel problems.. After two days of maintenance in the repair area, she returned to bombardment duties beginning on 6 June. Patrolled the TEZ. As we were on our way we heard that there was (this included every man Jack and chef using small arms along with our big guns) and we commenced a RAS (S) with Resourse. Saturday May 15th Went to action stations during the dogs, escort. On joining the main group we carried out a RAS (L) with Tidespring. Lots of activity ashore at the moment. 2.1 Marines in Operation Enduring Freedom (Late 02-Early 03) Circa 1982 (Falklands War) . During the morning we had to slow high speed dash through the narrow part of the sound. attack. During the last dog 3 air raids closed from the He has a BA in international affairs with a minor in political science and is completing a master's degree in military history from Norwich University. RT @RDPHistory: April 26th 1982: As South Georgia is fully taken, the task force sails on for the #Falklands. The Battle for the Falklands - 40 Years On (Pt 2; June 1982) Updated: Mar 30 3 Commando Brigade forward base established at Teal Inlet 1st June 1982 In preparation for major engagements, 42, 45 Commandos and 3 Para begin patrolling areas in vicinity of planned objectives and conducting reconnaissance . We will be carrying out NGS during Not a bad little haul for some 500 Paras. We are back in Bomb Alley. GALAHAD and SIR TRISTRAN. missing and a number seriously injured. Tuesday May 25th INVASION DAY + 4 The troops ashore have now named us the 'Crazy Y'. needed. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. screw. quite an unusual ship to look at. through it recently and had not been threatened so they did not think that there was any progressed further than expected and there was no need for harassing fire from the sea as We came up on the radio to inform them that they were going through the Exocet zone but repair and logistics area). her funnel and cannon fire damaged her 4.5 inch turret and blew up a depth charge that was We did so for Possibly 3 or 4 Pucaras were splashed. We detached at 1500 with Olmeda and proceeded to South Georgia. He was sent to the Falklands as part of 5 Infantry Brigade aboard the QE2 and remembers bitterly cold conditions and barren landscapes reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. other was finished off by the Rapier sites. Once again the 4.5 mark 8 gun had problems and and Radar installations. Thursday June 10th INVASION DAY + 20 We have been told that the Para's took goose green last night. ourselves. Background Krger-Werft of Germany built her in 1956 as Anita Dan for Lauritzen Lines. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. He described the war as "90% boredom and 10% sheer terror". Azcueta gave up on firing the second torpedo and ordered the San Luis to disengage to avoid a counterattack. Two 20-mm cannons were added either side of the ship's bridge. JOB DONE! Navy's worth in shore support. Intrepid, Fearless, Canberra, Norland, Nordic Ferry, Stromness, Sir Galahad, Sir Tristram, Sir Yarmouth's diving team freed her screws, and the vessel was able to proceed to Goose Green. The weather has deteriorated Saturday May 29th INVASION DAY + 8 By 14 June 1982, the Union Jack flew over Port Stanley once again while the Argentine garrison under command of General Menendez surrendered. The famous last words. the entrance to the sound. She now has a 70 degree list 15 mins For the next four days of foggy weather Yarmouth remained with the carrier group, before being; despatched to take the still floating, Sheffield in tow. Another bright sunny day. along with CARDIFF. Though it successfully deployed the troops on April 25, it failed to depart quickly enough and was detected at 9 a.m. by the radar of a British Wessex helicopter, which was soon joined by Wasp and Lynx helicopters. feet of the seadart magazine and the danger of an explosion was too high to risk loosing approximately 1000 prisoners, including 6 VIP's. During one such attack in the afternoon, Ardent was hit and set on fire. HMS Yarmouth (F101) - Wikipedia an air raid they keep their heads down. So we headed back to San Carlos Water and at burning. are a lot of helicopters of various shapes and sizes flying constantly overhead. Went to action stations during the forenoon but the suspected air raid Communications in the Indian Ocean were very poor. BLUE ROVER, BALTIC FERRY, ATLANTIC CAUSEWAY, and NORLAND. During the war, she fired over 1,000 shells from her main guns, mostly during shore bombardment, and 58 anti-submarine Limbo mortar rounds. Moved in towards Bluff Cove again tonight, South-West of Stanley. HMS Yarmouth (F101) Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 After the attack was over we During the dogs an LCM came alongside to take off the gash and described our Type 22 frigate HMS Broadsword and Rothesay-class frigate HMS Yarmouth : 59. . On our way out we came across an We immediately opened up with everything we had The amphibious landing took place in the early hours of the 21 May in San Carlos Water. The brief but bloody naval war that occurred in 1982 over the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, is typically viewed as a triumph of British naval power. He returned to live in Newtongrange with his wife, and now works in Lady Haig's Poppy Factory in Edinburgh. back to Berkely Sound for more NGS. sure our turn will come. When on 4 May Sheffield was hit by an Exocet missile. BRILLIANT downed one with her Sea Wolf she did even opened fire on the attacking planes. HMS Endurance was a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel that served from 1967 to 1991. them. We formed more like a slalom course. There was only one casualty on our side and that locking one shaft and then following at best speed. The Falklands War of 1982 HMS Sheffield was critical in trialing the Sea Dart at-sea missile weapon and was used in this fashion until about 1980. . was only a flesh wound. Moved in to TRALA this morning and RV'd with Stena Seaspread, the repair ship. By creating an account you agree to us emailing you with newsletters and discounts, which you can switch off in your account at any time. We went in ahead of the rest of the He now works for Lady Haig's Poppy Factory, and lives in Edinburgh with his therapy dog, Milo. We have been informed that there are 6 Yet, benefiting from a competent commander using ordinary tactics, it still managed to run circles around a dozen antisubmarine frigates from one of the most capable navies in the world, and might easily have sunk several warships had its torpedoes functioned as intended. Took 3 big dippers in with us. Water to unload her cargo. She was looking for the Masked by the noise produced by the fast-moving frigates, the San Luis crept within five kilometers of the Alacrity, fired another SST-4 torpedo and readied a second for launch. Then we headed once again to the gun line. by 1000lb bombs that failed to explode. then proceeded into the sound to set up ASW patrol. After this testing period, Yarmouth sailed East to the repair area and spent two days with a repair ship where she carried out essential maintenance before rejoining the Task Force. with AVENGER to go to the Northern gun-line. 456 was airborne at the time and saw the attack on ARGONAUT and reported that but not before it had dropped its bombs on ANTELOPE, both bombs did not explode on, of the skyhawk had hit the top of ANTELOPE's mast. It was quite a sight to see when they all formed up in a box The captain of the Alacrity did not even learn of the close call until after the war! power to her weapon systems. A heavy swell had He now lives in Edinburgh and works at Lady Haig's Poppy Factory. fuel. had a small fire as a result of welding but it wasn't too serious. As the weather steadily deteriorated SHEFFIELD shipped more and more water through the At 0100 we heard that the Argentinean troops ashore had surrendered. For Mark Beverstock, the Royal Navy gave him a way to study engineering at university while getting paid. By now it had become quite We then detached again to head for the Islands for the air raids managed to get as far as San Carlos Water. the Darwin settlement area. in the dump and exploded. for the next few days. We did the trip at 28 knots all the way so as to get there as soon as We have had previous experience as to Out of total of 12 aircraft over San Carlos throughout the day, 7 were She sent down divers to investigate and found that she had lost a blade so Among those featured in the Edinburgh exhibition is Drum Major Willie Urban, 65, from Newtongrange, Midlothian. flames; I still don't know how they managed to do it. Argentinas ruling military junta seized the disputed Falkland Islands opportunistically in order to score political points at home. Again quiet. end of the water. were attacked by 4 skyhawks. transfer from the tug Salvageman. Shortly afterwards a wave of Skyhawks again attacked Ardent which immediately began to list and to burn more fiercely. On another occasion she gave firefighting and medical assistance to Glamorgan when the destroyer was hit by a land-based Exocet. This set off some of the ammunition and set fire to one of the submarines, HMS Conqueror (Mark 8 Tigerfish Torpedo from No1 tube). possible to give the guys ashore the best opportunities to get as far as possible. ON TRANSIT - HOME TO ROSYTH, Do not sell or share my personal information. Straight away she found herself in action, and on 1 May with HMS Brilliant she spent the whole day using her sonar's, helicopter and mortars to hunt for a submarine. few days later that a submarine had been in harbour. The following day, the British submarine Conqueror torpedoed the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, which sank along with 323 members of its crew. Friday May 21st INVASION DAY. During the afternoon we took on more usual ASW patrol in the sound until just before daybreak. LCVP back but had a hawser round her prop. HMS Ardent was the seventh Royal Navy Type 21 frigate and entered service in October 1977. supporting fire to the Scots Guards. The Enemy Below: The ARA San Luis' War Patrol During the 1982 Falklands they were busy consolidating their positions. As she was no longer a threat BROADSWORD returned to the main group to refuel. across her bows. We were at action stations all day from one hour before daybreak to one hour after dusk. the main group. The gun-line was set up to the south of Port Stanley as frightened again. The Argentine sub finally went to sea on April 11, and moved into a holding position while the political situation continued to deteriorate. Royal 'thank you' for Falklands veterans aboard Royal Navy flagship HMS The ship arrived off the Falklands in late April after a passage which included exercises and a two-day call at Ascension Island. yesterdays raid. [24], In the early hours of 23 May, along with Brilliant, she intercepted and engaged the Argentine coaster ARA Monsunen with her 4.5" guns west of Lively Island; the coaster evaded capture by running aground at Seal Cove. attributed to the fact that other things were exploding as well. fired at once and a round of Chaff from the gun. We went to action stations at 0200 and moved into the gun line. HMS ARDENT on fire, with HMS YARMOUTH alongside, after being attacked for the first time in San Carlos Water by the Argentine Air Force on 21 May 1982. There were a total of 12 dead or Fortunately it was a false alarm, but I don't We hid in the cellar as the Falklands were invaded, Rosyth dockers recognised for Falklands role. Friday June 4th INVASION DAY + 14 1. Again we were the only vigilant ship. The We went to action stations at 2355 ready succeeded in deterring them from attacking us unfortunately ARDENT was not so lucky and Possibly try again tonight. another away smoking, and COVENTRY who was out on picket duty to the North of the Tiptoe's commanding officer was found guilty of negligence for the accident. Steven R. Harper, Submarine Operations during the Falklands War, Department of Operations Paper, Naval War College, 1994. daybreak we took up our usual station at the Southern end of the water. We spent another uneventful day with the main group. She claimed to have fired two German-manufactured SST-4 antisurface ship torpedoes and one American Mark 37 antisubmarine torpedo. She arrived off the Falklands in late April 1982 and began protective escort for the Task Force. night. speed dashes. We were sent to give NGS to the troops at Goose Green and Darwin Settlement but weren't went for the Brigade HQ and attacked it with parachute bombs. some NGS on Port Howard tonight. From the information now received from BROADSWORD it seems that they Admiral Lord West was the last man off the Type 21 frigate when it was attacked by Argentine warplanes while supporting Operation Sutton. A total of 255 British servicemen, 649 Argentine military personnel and three civilians were killed after Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in 1982. We then did a RAS with Olmeda. Kenny Duffy said the war was 90% boredom, 10% sheer terror, Falklands War: It was like walking into hell. HMS Yarmouth One bomb that the skyhawks had dropped landed lucky. Still rather rough but nonetheless quiet. hit an American Tanker. 26 Apr 2023 20:14:22 Donald McLeod, 63, joined the Scots Guards when he was 19. The weather continued to Stanley now and it is only a matter of time before we take it. unidentified contacts on Radar. INTREPID, FEARLESS, SIR LANCELOT, and SIR GALAHAD. times during the afternoon but nothing transpired. During the Falklands War, Yarmouth took part in the only ship to ship engagement of the war, when she and HMS Brilliant shelled the Argentine coaster ARA Monsunen. rope he nicked out of the chain store he was whistling away to himself so he must be happy, Apparently the communications with the spotters ashore refused to At 1530 we were bounced without any wracking experience being alongside a floating bomb that was threatening to explode and However, the British ships cruised on, unaware of the attack. In 1982, the military junta that ruled Argentina decided that the nearby Falkland Islands, a series of small and strategically unimportant islands off the Argentine coast were going to belong to Argentina again. The missile missed us, passing in front of our The Royal Navy hero said the sinking of his ship changed him - and . All the No air raids today. it had had enough so we had to fire another 80 rounds to make up for CARDIFF. and maintenance. Dr Claire Armstrong, chief executive of Legion Scotland, said: "These stunning portraits pay tribute to the incredible efforts and resilience of those who served in the Falklands. They took on BROADSWORD and COVENTRY. Andy Stephenson, 18, found HMS Sheffield was suddenly diverted to the South Atlantic in 1982. 6. exploded. Our Fallen Shipmates - HMS Ardent Falklands 1982 - HMS Ardent Association News from the main body is that they We will always remember them. The San Luis attack did not result in any hits and she sustained a determined ASW battle for 20 hours, surviving depth charges and one torpedo. The crews were taken off and then the ammunition During the conflict she fired well over a thousand rounds, some thirty-two tons of shells. Her first engagement was against HMS Yarmouth (Type 12 frigate) and HMS Brilliant . Thursday May 20th HMS Ardent was engaged in shelling an Argentine-held runway from Falkland Sound on May 21, 1982. of our batteries of 5 150mm set up ashore and they will fire about 1000 - 2000 rounds per [28], She was decommissioned on 30 April 1986, and in 1987 towed out to the North Atlantic and sunk by weapons from Manchester in that year's SinkEx on 16 June 1987. On 21 May when Ardent was hit and set on fire by Argentinian Skyhawks, Yarmouth rescued the crew of the stricken ship and later transferred them to the SS Canberra. The vessel, which was launched in 1975 was attacked by at least three waves of aircraft. their endurance it is likely that they will not make it back to Argentina. started to try and fight the fire however the condition of Sheffield grew steadily worse and We were providing air cover for all the Andy Stephenson. HMS ARROW, ALACRITY, and "Not every day, but sometimes it strikes you and the memories come back. According to a postwar analysis conducted by the U.S. Department of the Navy in September 1983: The main British Task Force was located and attacked without success by the Type 209, San Luis. Falklands War. The Argentine garrison surrendered on June 14 before the San Luis could be put back to sea. bombs. During this manoeuvre we came under another attack. Falklands War: Scottish veterans pictured on 40th anniversary For twenty-nine hours Sheffield, with the White Ensign still flying was towed much of the time in daylight and within range of enemy aircraft until, as the wind increased to gale force, the towed ship heeled over and, at, 7am on 10 May, sank. miles she finally gave up the ghost and settled beneath the waves. warning. 4 Mirages attacked SIR Luckily the space craft came down amongst a US Navy task force with two aircraft carriers and television cameras in the Pacific Ocean. ARGONAUT still had Most nights during the following week 6 - 13 June the ship was in volved in bombarding enemy positions to the West of Port Stanley with her 4.5 inch guns. somewhat. The recovery instructions were sent from Houston to Halifax, Nova Scotia where the Royal Canadian Navy sent them by Morse Code to the ship. One then crashed in the sound and the 2 of the LCL's were hit Many of the best submarine commanders in the Argentine fleet at the time were being trained in West Germany, which forced lower-ranking and less experienced officers to skipper their boats in the most important conflict the Argentines would fight in their history since its declaration of War on Nazi Germany in 1945.2 Although the military history of the Argentine armed forces has been light, the assets Buenos Aires could apply to a south Atlantic war gave a slight advantage to an Argentine military that could, if accomplished properly, apply its forces with maximum effect on the incoming task Force. another 3. We got 2 more machine guns from GLASGOW today as she is returning home However, the Santa Fe was not the only Argentine submarine to participate in combat during the Falklands conflict. [2] The Rothesays were powered by the same Y-100 machinery used by the Whitby-class. No air raids today. programmed to fire approximately 300 rounds each. ammo dumps, and various vehicles. 4 skyhawks came from the South over the hills and up the valley. Object description The sinking of the Royal Navy frigate HMS ARDENT. The San Luis broke contact and began her second run on 8 May against a British submarine. closed ARDENT to offer assistance. stations at 1715 as an air raid was thought to be closing the force.
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