Page 38 - ABA Salvoes 1999-2024

One of the problems during the campaign was getting a feed-back on results of all this effort. The patrols were put out to gain intelligence of Argy positions, but not to get involved in fire fights or take prisoners. We did learn that the bombardments were causing much demoralisation, but had little idea of the extent of Argy casualties Since the Pebble Island raid on 15 May it was clear that two HQs were now giving me orders for deployment of the assets which were under my control: Admiral Sandy Woodward as FOF 1, and therefore controlling Op TORNADO, and BC 148 Battery, now poised for Op SUTTON. So when we had finished with Pebble Island I flew over to HMS FEARLESS where we agreed to the new modus operandi – after all, the landing of 3 Commando Brigade was only 5 days away. From now on Mike Morgan would deploy his Battery as required from the SACC in FEARLESS (which later became the FSCC ashore), and I would deploy the LOs from either the SACC, where I was working with COMAW’s staff, or from whichever ship I happened to be in. Not the best of arrangements, but one forced on us by the absence of the TA NGLOs which were affiliated to the Battery.
We had been away from home for 6 weeks now and were feeling the absence of home mail. The BFPO services were, as usual, excellent, and mail home was delivered within a few days. The problem was that although mail also took only a few days to the sub- post office at Ascension, from there on our itinerant lifestyle meant that we were difficult to track down. I received my first letter over a month after it was posted, and from then on it tended to reach us at odd intervals, and often in bunches way out of sequence. This was equally frustrating for the families at home, who could not understand why their letters were not being answered. In the end quite a bit of mail never arrived at all, probably because the addresses were so saturated with salt water that they were no longer readable!
The redeployment of NGS assets – the spotters to the various units they were to support and LOs to their ships – was now completed. But in fact there was one more task, which was really part of Op TORNADO, and this was a diversionary bombardment by GLAMORGAN all along the coastline from Stanley to Choiseul Sound, making as much noise as possible. As the LOs were already in their ships, ready for SUTTON, 1 decided to act as GLAMORGAN’s LO for the occasion. The ship enjoyed herself hugely and fired over 900 salvos in all sorts of innovative configurations that have never appeared in ATPs! However, I myself was quite pleased to leave the gunline as GLAMORGAN was attracting quite a bit of hostile fire, as was intended. After this bit of fun I returned to HMS ANTRIM, which was designated CTG NGS gun group for the landing. I must say her ‘changing attitude’ towards NGS was quite remarkable since South Georgia. I had recently had a signal from her to say “Have new guns – lets go” . OPGEN Mike, the operation order, had arrived and had to be checked in detail, and it was during this checking that it became apparent to the navigating officer, Chris Morrison, and
myself that there was a mis-match between the advance force timings and the bombarding ship’s schedules. This required immediate changes to the SBS plans, which were only just completed with minutes to spare before H-hour.
Capt Hugh McManners with his FO 1 team had now joined us and was placed in support of the SBS. Their job was to take out the Argies who were bound to be deployed on the promontory guarding the east entrance to Falkland Sound, although not quite where we expected them to be. A helo carrying the SBS commander and Hugh did a thermal imaging run of Fanning Head and, with ANTRIM taking up a gun line within the Sound, they landed to start rounding up the Argie company who were supposed to be guarding the entrance. The round-up soon went noisy, but 3 SBS took all the Argies prisoner apart from a few who had been killed or wounded by NGS. ANTRIM fired 217 salvos in support before taking up a position across the N entrance of the Sound. From this area we could watch on the radar screen as the other ships came into the Sound. The image of the ‘Great White Whale’ – Canberra – dwarfed them all and it was quite uncanny that a huge ocean-going liner, complete with civilian staff and painted pure white (before she was camouflaged with rust) could possibly bring fighting troops into the battle-zone. It was unreal and someone had had to make some very brave decisions. Her loss would have brought Op CORPORATE to an untimely end, as she was carrying two Commandos and a Para battalion; i.e. 2/3rds of the assault force. The landing in San Carlos Water was unopposed, except at the south end where the SAS with NGFO 5 (Capt Chris Brown) were involved in a series of minor engagements, with ARDENT in support. Here too the party had to be split, and Bdr Oliver did considerable damage with his destruction of half the Pucara ground attack aircraft before they could take off’. A fine morning heralded the arrival of the Argie air force (AAF). ANTRIM, guarding the entrance of San Carlos Water, received a 1000 lb bomb through the hanger deck, which thankfully failed to explode, and was later cut out of the hanger and lowered over the side. But the bomb had badly damaged our Wessex `Humphry’ No 406 (which now has an honourable retirement in the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton). There were also 26 cannon holes in the hull, one of which had shattered my ‘private’ admiral’s heads. The army bomb disposal team who did this tricky job were killed later when a similar task they were tackling in HMS ANTELOPE met with disaster and ANTELOPE sank.
I could see that HMS ARDENT to the south was also under attack and was set on fire. Capt Bob Harmes, the LO, was taken off with the rest of the crew who were sent home to England, but we had to intercept them and get Bob back downtous–weneededhim!On25MayIwasinHMS HERMES when an air alert was sounded. From the deck control bridge we had a grandstand view of an Exocet skimming across the water towards us. Chaff fired by one of the escorts successfully seduced it, but flying on it locked
36 | Amphibious Bombardment Association