Page 24 - ABA Salvoes 1999-2024

NATO countries, particularly the America Fleet, as well as participating in exercises in Libya, Cyprus and Sardinia. One of the advantages of living and working with the Navy was the ability of request the use of the Admiral’s barge, in this case a Heron aircraft, to deploy to Cyprus, Sardinia and Libya. It did not have the range to reach Cyprus without refuelling in Crete. The Indian Naval Ship Mysore, previously a WW2 vintage British Cruiser came through and we conducted a Communications Exercise with her and the Greek Maritime wanted us to control their aircraft from Filfla whilst they attacked Little Filfla, just 200 metes off Filfla, a request that was refused!
In November 1963 a party deployed to Cyprus to conduct live firing on Akamas Range, on the North Western tip of the Island. HMS LION, 4 x 6 inch guns, was returning fromtheFarEastforarefitintheUK.Shewastobeon station for just 6 hours, 1800 to 2359 hours and was joined by HMS DIAMOND, 6 x 4.5 inch guns. The plan was for DIAMOND provide illumination whilst LION fired HE. All went well until communications was lost with DIAMOND whereupon the Skipper of LION asked if there was any reason why he could not fire without white light. That sorted, LION continued as it was evident that the Skipper had no intention of returning to Portsmouth with any ammunition. DIAMOND soon re-established communications and we continued to fire until the range
FALKLANDS 1982 – OP TORNADO
by Lt Col KRH Eve RA
Following the successful conclusion of Op PARAQUAT with the recapture of South Georgia on 25 Apr 82, the Task Group (TG) under the command of Capt Young RN, HMS ANTRIM, was to be dissolved. HMS PLYMOUTH and HMS BRILLIANT were to head north to join Adm Woodward’s main Task Force (TF) 317.8 east of the Falkland Islands. We would travel in HMS PLYMOUTH, as HMS ANTRIM was to remain, for the time being, in South Georgia to change worn gun barrels and act as the guard ship. Our cross- deck to HMS PLYMOUTH was delayed due to bad weather, and in fact two members of 6 SBS, who had come down in the submarine HMS CONQUEROR, surfacing for the first time in three weeks nearby, were washed off the deck by heavy seas while transferring to us. They were recovered but lost their kit. The two spotters, Willy McCracken and Chris Brown, joined me for a little celebration on Op PARAQUAT’s success, and I woke next morning with a hangover as I had no alcohol for a month! I had been down to the gun bay and TS to talk to the crews, and had taken copies of the Gritvyken panorama to give them, and to explain what we had been firing at. They were much interested, as they had little idea what was going on up top, notwithstanding the Captain’s broadcasts. I made a habit visiting the guts of the ships after subsequent bombardments, whenever there was the opportunity, as did the other LOs.
closed. Perhaps this was one of the last firings of 6 inch guns.
That phase complete we joined the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment Group in Nicosia ready for an exercise in what is now Northern Cyprus. The exercise started with a night parachute jump onto a DZ north of Nicosia, the same DZ that the Turkish Army used in 1974. The exercise moved through the Kyrenia range and ended for us with an OP below Kantara Castle. 1964 saw further changes with HMS PHOENICIA paying off and the livers in moving to HMS ST ANGELO but the day to day routine continued including forward Air Controlling with a couple of RAF aircraft and Exercises in Libya and Sardinia as well as the continual visits to the OP overlooking Filfla (Har Lapsi). For the exercise in Libya one party joined the Opposing force whilst the other joined Friendly Forces. Friendly Forces were supplemented with USAF F100 Super Sabres from Wheelus Air Base and an American Liaison Officer joined us. When short of essentail supplies he arranged for an airdrop onto our position! At the same time changes occurred within the ORBAT with the decision to provide a second Regiment of Commando trained Gunners. 29 and 95 were organised with each having 2 gun Batteries and an NGS Battery. One to be stationed in Singapore and the other in Plymouth changing over every few years - but that’s another story.
Our NGS teams assembled in HMS PLYMOUTH by the 28th and, with the SAS in HMS BRILLIANT, this group sailed the 500 miles to TF 317.8 over the next 24 hours. The weather was still rough and an attempt to show a film in the wardroom was eventually abandoned, despite holding the projector and screen to the floor. The next day was thick fog, but we could see glimpses of Type 42s and other shipping passing by in the clag. HMS PLYMOUTH had hoisted a home-made black flag with a white submarine on it from the flag deck, to indicate the sinking of the Santa Fe, but I don’t think many of the rest of TF 317.8 saw it. We cross-decked to the flagship, HMS HERMES, in the afternoon and met FOFl’s staff, the Staff Gunnery Officer Lt Cdr Hugh Cryer RN, the Intelligence Officer Maj David Drysdale RM, whom we knew from Poole, and the Chief of Staff from 3 Commando Brigade, Col Richard Preston. They gave us what intelligence they had, which wasn’t much. I then went to see Adm Sandy Woodward, and Capt Middleton RN of HMS HERMES. The Admiral showed great interest in the NGS prospects, which Richard Preston had been pushing for all he was worth, and it soon became clear that the Advance Force offensive operations were to be based on NGS, which were to begin asap.
These operations — later called Op TORNADO — were to continue night and day until the Landing Force operation
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