We detached at 1500 with Olmeda and proceeded to South Georgia. Also ARGONAUT took on two unexploded had to slip the tow. On entering the water we lucky. We formed attack materialised. gear up to Port San Carlos. She came to public notice when she was involved in the Falklands War of 1982. Four decades since the Royal Navy ship he . guys with all their gear for a covert operation in the Port Salvador area tonight these guys We fired a total of 296 rounds destroying Supply dumps, Troop enhancements He told Daily Star Online he had to be "dragged off the bow" by his crew as HMS Ardent foundered off the Falklands on May 22, 1982. early hours of the morning we set up the gun line and then under their direction we proceeded Out of that raid we splashed one and sent News from the main body is that they THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982 | Imperial War Museums Fort Grange to top up with 4.5 ammunition. A total of 255 British servicemen, 649 Argentine military personnel and three civilians were killed after Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in 1982. Last night we left the sound and RV'd with British Elk. Astern of HMS Newcastle, after decomissioning (Portsmouth '07) Rear Starboard quarter in 2007, her name is rusted Argentinas ruling military junta seized the disputed Falkland Islands opportunistically in order to score political points at home. hit an American Tanker. always. It was April 1982, and the crew of Royal Navy destroyer HMS Sheffield . This, too, was likely a whale. sent to render assistance. PASSING THROUGH ASCENSION - PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD of PEOPLE, PLACES, SHIPS, PLANES, Part 2 of 2 . The famous last words. ANTELOPE just pointing above the waterline. splashed with another 2 possibles. by 1000lb bombs that failed to explode. The Battle for the Falklands - 40 Years On (Pt 2; June 1982) Falklands War: HMS Sheffield - a survivor's story - BBC News Many who study the 1982 Falklands War understand the exploits of the ARA Santa Fe, a former World War IIera US Navy Guppy-class submarine that was heavily damaged and ran aground during the British assault on the island of South Georgia on 25 April. HMS Yarmouth was the first modified Type 12 frigate of the Rothesay class to enter service with the Royal Navy . We can reunite you with your friends who served at HMS Yarmouth and we have a wealth of information on different units, bases and ships in the site. We took out various targets such as machine gun posts, troop concentrations, small all in all we had discharged 31 tons of HE. They crew would only be able to launch one torpedo at a time under manual wire guidance. We did the trip at 28 knots all the way so as to get there as soon as We were at action stations all day from one hour before daybreak to one hour after dusk. It was worked out that Argentina also possessed several other submarines, including a new West German built Type 209 U-Boat diesel-electric, fast-attack submarine, the ARA San Luis. Reasonably quiet day today. She was hit and a fireball swept through the There were many problems with the performance of the SST-4 torpedoes the San Luis crew had fired. decided that she would have a go at the Northern end so we were sent to the Southern end. Its commander, Frigate Captain Fernando Azcueta, was a submarine veteranbut did not have much experience with the Type 209 model. Another claim is that the Argentine crews mistakenly reversed the magnetic polarity of the gyros in the torpedoes, causing them to run astray. Andy Stephenson. on her deck causing a 6 foot hole and a fire. was only a flesh wound. Wednesday June 2nd INVASION DAY + 12, with the main group on the Eastern edge of the TEZ. The SBS/SAS raid on Port Salvador had to be cancelled due to duff gear. She arrived off the Falklands in late April 1982 and began protective escort for the Task Force. It is easy to say that the Royal Navy would have annihilated the Argentine fleet; however, the combination of land-based Argentine strike aircraft, air-, sea-, and land-based Exocet missiles, and a carrier, Thatchers task force could have seen a much more costly outcome for the recapture of the Falklands than it experienced. HMS Endurance (1967) - Wikipedia We went to action stations twice during the day but no raids materialised. Argentinean troops that have been on Southern Thule for 5 years. back to Berkely Sound for more NGS. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy, Please enter a password with 6 characters or more. The San Luis was a German Type 209 diesel submarine built in large numbers to serve as a smaller, cost-efficient submarine for less wealthy countries. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Yarmouth. ARROW and PLYMOUTH are still here as is ARGONAUT who is still effecting repairs. formation. [24] On 1314 June, she and Active shelled Argentine positions during the Battle of Mount Tumbledown. After a tow of some 29 hours and 150 She had been trying to tow the damaged Donald McLeod, 63, joined the Scots Guards when he was 19. The British troops could have By Admiral Thomas B. Hayward, U.S. Navy (Retired). LSL - Landing Ship Logistics, comprising Sir Bedivere, Sir Galahad, Sir Geraint . It did not close us but store but SIR GALAHAD had not been so lucky. were attacked by 4 skyhawks. was spotted and it looked as though it was heading towards us. seawolf system had tripped out twice. We found out they had in fact HMS Ardent was the seventh Royal Navy Type 21 frigate and entered service in October 1977. This British crew sang a hilarious song as their ship burned There are now just There are many possible counterfactuals that could result in the defeat of a British attempt to retake the islands, but the struggle was decided by men willing to put forth extraordinary effort despite difficult terrain, weather, and long distances. and maintenance. We then returned to the main Lancelot, Sir Geraint, Sir Percival. one was smoking as it flew past and the pilot ejected as he passed our quarterdeck. decks below. at 1800 we group. During the afternoon we took on more During the war, she fired over 1,000 shells from her main guns, mostly during shore bombardment, and 58 anti-submarine Limbo mortar rounds. A total of 255 British servicemen, 649 Argentine military personnel and three civilians were killed after Argentina invaded the British overseas territory in 1982. Spent the day patrolling the Eastern part of the TEZ. He described nine hours of hand-to-hand fighting through the night, during which eight of his comrades were killed. Storm still blowing but beginning to slacken off now. The majority of the blast had funnelled downwards and the tail rotor of the helo was found 2 her starboard side about 5 feet above the water line and the resulting He was looking forward to deployment in the Far East and Australia when their ship, HMS Yarmouth, was ordered to the South Atlantic in April 1982. We went to action stations at 2355 ready There was a feeling of total helplessness as there wasn't a damn Royal Navy hero 'still has nightmares' over sinking of HMS Ardent in other was finished off by the Rapier sites. Wednesday May 5th The other pair came in low over skyhawk pass and went for ammunition dumps in passage back to Bomb Alley before sunrise. BRILLIANT downed one with her Sea Wolf All of our Chaff rockets were Patrolled the TEZ. Demoralized, Azcueta radioed home that the torpedoes were useless, and he received permission to return to base, which he accomplished on May 19. Falklands: A four-month adrenaline rush - Poppy Scotland During the evening we embarked 4 SBS ARDENT then veered towards us but again we opened up with everything we had, including 4 Seacat was not yet ready, and Yarmouth was completed with a single L/60 40mm Bofors mount aft as a temporary anti-aircraft armament. feet of the seadart magazine and the danger of an explosion was too high to risk loosing training flight, all 4 were splashed. 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.. Had the light carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo been able to launch a strike against the British carriers with her ten A-4Q Skyhawks instead of aborting because of bad weather and had the San Luis torpedoes performed as they were intended, the Royal Navy could have suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Argentines. During the afternoon HMS SHEFFIELD whilst out on Air Defence picket duty was hit by an 1.2 Crew; 2 1983-present. We are to go and do Navy's worth in shore support. It had been announced that Goose, Settlement now have the Union Flag flying over them. Below are just some of our members who have served at HMS Yarmouth. The weather continued to The missile had apparently struck the port waist and We came alongside ARDENT to take off We have been informed that there are 6 A Mark 6M fire control system (including a Type 275 radar) for the 4.5 inch guns was mounted above the ship's bridge, while a Type 974 navigation radar was also fitted. 6. 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. 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. SBS were landed near Port Howard late last night and took up their spotting positions. CAP shot down a C130 that had been There were a total of 12 dead or one of her shafts. A week of storms followed and Yarmouth the oldest escort ship in the Tank Force rode out the weather with no damage despite her twenty-two years. Tonight we will sit in Berkely sound and give fuel. Friday May 21st INVASION DAY. GLAMORGAN did not seem to fire many rounds as usual. The following day, the British submarine Conqueror torpedoed the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, which sank along with 323 members of its crew. The shock and damage to Argentine national pride resulted in the return of democracy to Buenos Aires and a rejection of military rule, and the governments prosecution of the Dirty War, or reign of terror against dissidents of the juntas regime. Just as the Duke of Wellington described his victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo, the Falklands war was indeed, It has been a damned nice thingthe nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life.. In ATLANTIC CONVEYOR there are 12 missing. 1000. Spent the day patrolling TEZ. This site uses cookies. GLAMORGAN had now got the fire under some semblance of control COVENTRY has taken a bomb machine guns on the upper deck - the SAS/SBS have positioned themselves around the ship, One of the SBS has positioned himself up the mast tied on with a bit of Sunday June 13th INVASION DAY + 23 Wednesday May 19th, The main amphibious group joined us today. the full information on all yesterdays air raids around the Islands. No damage was done. Escorted her back into San Carlos all the survivors. There were no Graham Daniels, a former Royal Navy marine engineer, was just 20 years old when he was sent to the Falklands aboard the "Crazy Y". [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. onboard and it has blown a hole in the bottom of her. The recovery instructions were sent from Houston to Halifax, Nova Scotia where the Royal Canadian Navy sent them by Morse Code to the ship. no warning. Ajax Bay. Guess who it was - yes our old friend the MV Monsunen. Fortunately we During the afternoon we carried out Thursday May 20th then the possibility of being attacked from the air whilst totally immobilised. GLAMORGAN had been bounced by Argentinean aircraft and had sustained some minor Patrolled the TEZ. gun fire and will therefore have punctured fuel tanks and as they are at the extreme range of This lack of planning was manifest in the unpreparedness of the Argentine Navys submarine fleet. The next ten days saw Yarmouth in San Carlos Water by day and leaving at dusk each night to carry out a variety of tasks including shore bombardment, anti-submarine patrols, covert operations and escorting merchant ships to and from the landing area. all RAS's we rejoined the main group. There are 20 missing on COVENTRY which is now Code name Crazy Y got a mention on the world However, some accounts state the torpedo actually struck a decoy being towed by HMS Arrow, but failed to detonate. After Sheffield had been abandoned, Yarmouth took her in tow in order to get her to a safe area. [11][12] A hangar and flight deck was added aft to allow a Westland Wasp helicopter to be operated, at the expense of one of the Limbo anti-submarine mortars, while a Seacat launcher and the associated GWS20 director was mounted on the hangar roof. As part of the 2nd Battalion, he was sent to the Falklands, in the south-west Atlantic Ocean aboard the QE2 in May 1982. Thursday May 6th raid closed but did not attack, one Skyhawk was shot down by the Rapier sites. The commander of the Argentinean forces had Many who study the 1982 Falklands War understand the exploits of the ARA Santa Fe, . We fired 124 rounds as RAS(A) but the rig on the supply ship broke. [8][9] The ship's sonar fit consisted of Type 174 search, Type 170 fire control sonar for Limbo and a Type 162 sonar for classifying targets on the sea floor. it had had enough so we had to fire another 80 rounds to make up for CARDIFF. 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. 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. INTREPID, FEARLESS, SIR LANCELOT, and SIR GALAHAD. "I don't think they see themselves as heroes but just ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances doing a job they were trained to do.". We dropped the sea-boat on to the rocks and had holed it but it returned OK. Another 26 knot through it recently and had not been threatened so they did not think that there was any Rear Admiral Mark Beverstock is now president of Poppyscotland and Legion Scotland. first there were several loud explosions and a large fire coming from her aft end. air raids today but there were several false alarms. In their place, the San Luis made do with junior petty officers in charge of many keys departments of the ship. It was difficult to see how close they came but there were a few air bursts. CTG sent us in close with HMS BRILLIANT to hunt who lost an arm. We will be carrying out NGS during in the dump and exploded. have had to sink the ATLANTIC CONVEYOR after taking as much undamaged stores as Here, HMS Glamorgan, Broadsword, Alacrity and Yarmouth are on their way. Arrow and Yarmouth having narrowly been missed by a second missile, went to her aid. 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 . The recovery manual was taken down by communications ratings, two at a time, with pencil and paper. the waves. the rapiers. The impact the ARA San Luis had on the British Royal Navy. 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. We set up the commandeered by the Argentineans to ferry troops from one island to the other. Their engines on The gun-line was set up to the south of Port Stanley Patrolled the TEZ. During the conflict, Great Britain lost six ships from bombs and missiles launched or dropped by Argentine land-based strike aircraft. On May 1, the San Luiss passive sonar detected the HMS Brilliant and Yarmouth, both specialized antisubmarine frigates. Russia's Next Big Military Sale - To Mexico. under shore fire. We now have another 3 Thursday May 27th INVASION DAY + 6 Meanwhile, the Santa Fe, an old Balao-class submarine that had served the U.S. Navy in World War II, was dispatched on April 17 to ferry marines and technicians to reinforce troops who had seized the island of South Georgia. unidentified contacts on Radar. However, there is also evidence that the torpedoes failed to arm their warheads and could not maintain depth. We were to tow her out of the TEZ and then rendezvous with the tug Salvageman to transfer There was no air raids on the force today. Went to action stations during the dogs, Members of HMS Yarmouth | Forces Reunited Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. One pair came in from the South-West and and started to make our way back to the main group but the raid came nowhere near us. torpedoes and depth charges. how the Argentineans treat the white flag. bombs. [28], Before leaving South Thule, Yarmouth was refuelled by the RFA Olmeda on 21 June, which may have been the most southerly RAS(L) in the history of the Royal Navy. Falklands War: Memorial unveiled to crew of HMS Sheffield programmed to fire approximately 300 rounds each. We were stationed at the Northern end of the water. The At 0800 we heard the plans for us Islands splashed another with her Sea Dart. As we started to pull While Arrow was fighting the fire, Yarmouth fought off a possible submarine attack. attack. He described the war as "90% boredom and 10% sheer terror". They then abandoned ship. They tried a different tactic this time. He remembers a "four-month adrenaline rush", living with the constant threat of air attacks and going to the aid of ships in distress. During the dogs an LCM came alongside to take off the gash and described our Friday June 11th INVASION DAY + 21 This left Twenty two of the 199 crew members on board were killed and the ship sank the . Azcueta quickly dove his sub into hiding on the seabed. We closed them and CARDIFF fired Starshell to illuminate buildings. indiscriminately and just missed us by approximately 50 yards, this was the nearest so far for The submarine has been identified as firing its munitions too deep, having an outdated fire-control system that required the crew to calculate their solutions manually; broken wires after the torpedoes were fired, which denied the ability to steer the fish to their targets; lack of preparation of the SST-4s in the torpedo rooms tubes; which did not allow the torpedoes to arm themselves after firing, and an inexperienced crew.5 All these factors combined to allow the targeted ships to escape the San Luis attacks. Arrived in the TEZ (Total Exclusion Zone). At 1600 we detached with PLYMOUTH to go She went along side the stricken ship in the early hours of 9 May and passed a tow. the seariders refused to co-operate. [11][14], On 13 July 1965 she collided with the submarine Tiptoe, 10 miles south east of Portland Bill. closing the force, all turned out to be spurious. more ammunition. Tiptoe survived, and was able to make Gosport under her own power, and was repaired at the yards of Cammell Laird. We were told by our spotter that our fire was very accurate Twelve minutes after firing her torpedo, the San Luis heard an explosion from her targets same bearing; however, the Royal Navy claimed no losses of any submarines during the conflict, and it is speculated that the San Luis torpedo may have struck the bottom. The spotter came over the net They had been held by Britain for about 150 years at that point. cause for alarm. The combination of land-based and naval air power in an expeditionary environment is a key component to the threats the United States and its Pacific allies face today. unguarded we rang on revolutions for 20 knots and stormed up the channel with a total of 20 high speed dash through the narrow part of the sound. ASW patrol off the mouth of the sound until 1000. We have had previous experience as to Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. We arrived at the Gun-Line at about 0330. HMS Yarmouth (F101) - Wikipedia We succeeded in getting lines across and rather bored. Abandon Ship. avoiding action. Communications in the Indian Ocean were very poor. The ship had been struck by two 1,000lb bombs and 22 lives lost. As a young boy, Graham Daniels was fascinated by his uncle's stories . another running torpedo. It was originally intended to fit a twin 40 mm L/70 Bofors anti-aircraft mount aft, but in 1957 it was decided to fit the Seacat anti-aircraft missile instead. Saturday May 29th INVASION DAY + 8 antics as 'F------ magic! 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. then continued on our way to Sheffield arriving shortly before midnight. them. pairs. meet up with AVENGER. Mr McLeod struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the Army several years later, but managed to turn his life around with help from Poppyscotland and other charities. 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. Landed the NGLO and a marine on Cook Island. ammunition and fuel. One went trailing 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. 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. A year later, Graham returned to the Falklands with HMS Yarmouth for Force Protection patrol, spending Christmas 1983 there. Images of seven men who served in the 10-week war have been taken by Glasgow photographer Wattie Cheung. repairs were completed by 2000 and the FMG men were disembarked. West. A very peaceful day. On joining the main group we carried out a RAS (L) with Tidespring. was attacked by Exocet and Skyhawks. various Vertreps. Their bombs missed and was taken out by detached and went into the Bluff Cove area again. The rest of the crew were evacuated successfully. For Mark Beverstock, the Royal Navy gave him a way to study engineering at university while getting paid. The Argentine garrison surrendered on June 14 before the San Luis could be put back to sea. However, the war at sea was not entirely isolated to the sinking of the ARA Belgrano (Brooklyn-class CL) by HMS Conqueror (Churchill-class SSN). It seems as though HMS Endurance was a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel that served from 1967 to 1991. There were many problems with the performance of the SST-4 torpedoes the San Luis' crew had fired. On 13 June 1982 he was involved in the final battle to take Mount Tumbledown. 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. Saturday May 8th Mr Walker, 61, is now retired and lives on a smallholding in Burntisland, Fife, with his wife Marion. Topped up with mortar bombs from reserve. During the forenoon our Dcc went across to assist. and the disposal experts are going in today. BLUE ROVER, BALTIC FERRY, ATLANTIC CAUSEWAY, and NORLAND. During the morning we had to slow Yarmouth'S task was to provide anti-submarine and anti-air Protection. As the Southern end of the water was She was rammed in the Third Cod War by the Icelandic gunboat Baldur and had to limp away from the patrol area for repairs. Lord West recalls sinking of HMS Ardent 40 years after the Falklands War. 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. air raids managed to get as far as San Carlos Water. sad to go and reckoned that they had had a great time onboard and had never enjoyed Our divers then went down and managed to He is president of Poppyscotland and Legion Scotland. (this included every man Jack and chef using small arms along with our big guns) and great speed for Port Stanley in company with CARDIFF. Headed West with the amphibious group for the islands. Now beginning to lose all track of time and getting suite and operator/crew training to operator . another 3. There was a total of 14 aircraft attacked us in 3 waves. "Although the conflict lasted for just 74 days, it had a profound impact, with many veterans struggling with the physical and mental scars for decades afterwards.". This set off some of the ammunition and set fire to one of the Steven R. Harper, Submarine Operations during the Falklands War, Department of Operations Paper, Naval War College, 1994. The 1982 Falklands War makes an excellent case study for the U.S. Navy, as it prepares for potential fights with the Peoples Republic of China over contested islands in the By Admiral Stansfield Turner, U.S. Navy (Retired). HMS Yarmouth (F101) Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 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. On 9 November 1970 the aircraft carrier Ark Royal collided with the Soviet Kotlin-class destroyer, Bravyy, which had been shadowing the carrier during exercises in the Mediterranean and cut across the bows of Ark Royal while the carrier was launching aircraft. Through the night we did the usual ASW patrol. The NGS went very well last He now lives in Edinburgh and works at Lady Haig's Poppy Factory. The older Santa Fe inserted frogmen to assist in the initial invasion on April 2. She fired a sea cat missile which We are to proceed to the South Sandwich Islands to remove some We picked up the Paras using our sea boat during the early hours. Still no news from ashore yet. Friday May7th Went to action Possibly 3 or 4 Pucaras were splashed. We were programmed to go back in tonight but the troops ashore had ammunition and fuel ready for the new nightly dash into the Islands for NGS. SBS boat has gone "Not every day, but sometimes it strikes you and the memories come back. [6] The design anti-submarine armament consisted of twelve 21-inch torpedo-tubes (eight fixed and two twin rotating mounts) for Mark 20E Bidder homing anti-submarine torpedoes, backed up by two Limbo anti-submarine mortars fitted aft. Lord West of Spithead Credit: PA Archive/PA Images. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring. exploded. We fired chaff and took evasive action. The luxury liner had been requisitioned for troop transport. usual ASW patrol in the sound until just before daybreak. We left the TRALA during the early hours of the morning and joined up with the main group at pick up some Paras from Great Island tonight. The Bidder homing torpedoes proved unsuccessful however, being too slow to catch modern submarines, and the torpedo tubes were soon removed. Graham Hopewell, 59, originally from Glasgow, was inspired to join the Scots Guards as a teenager drummer after seeing their band play for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Arrived at Southern Thule during the morning and took on maps and charts by heaving line In the future, submarines will continue to play a critical role in expeditionary warfare as well as in antiaccess/area denial (A2/AD) environments. proceeded to take up our normal place at the Northern end of the Water, but PLYMOUTH As before we were illuminated by the fire control radar but this time we came The ship survived six days post-attack and was under tow from HMS Yarmouth when she took on too much water and was allowed to sink on May 10th. Divers spent almost an entire week trying to clean crustaceans from the San Luiss hull and propeller, which were impeding the vessels speed and stealth.
hms yarmouth falklands crew