Description
Object description
British officer commanded HMS Coventry during Falklands War, 1982
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of service as officer with Royal Navy in GB, Gulf and Far East, 1958-1981: period as cadet at Royal Naval College, Dartmouth; duties as navigation officer aboard HMS Eastbourne in Far East; service in Gulf; commanding motor torpedo boat in duties with minesweeper HMS Lantern during Indonesian Confrontation, 1963; fishery protection duties aboard HMS Pallister, 1963-1965; appointment to navigation officer aboard HMS Gurkha in Persian Gulf, 1965-1966.
REEL 2 Continues: situation in Persian Gulf during mid 1960s; importance of Royal Navy presence in Persian Gulf; question of American relations with Middle East; role as navigation officer in HMS Tenby in Dartmouth Training Squadron, 1966-1968; appointment as instructor with Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, 1968-1970; dealing with casualties; attending staff course and work involved; joining HMS Hampshire as second in command, 1974; exercises in West Indies; dealing with treat of Russian naval presence; role of ship; reasons for removal of class of ship from service.
REEL 3 Continues: quality of Royal Navy personnel; leaving HMS Hampshire, 1976; period on Directing Staff of Naval Staff College, Greenwich; exercise simulating conflict in Falklands; contrast in approaches of Royal Navy and US Navy to naval warfare; duties commanding Royal Yacht Britannia; cruises; characteristics of Royal Yacht Britannia; role of Royal Yacht; relations with Royal Family. Aspects of period as captain of HMS Coventry in GB coastal waters and Atlantic, 1981: appointment as captain, 5/1981; simulated warfare training; character of ship.
REEL 4 Continues: work with NATO allies in North Sea; concern over spare parts; participation in Exercise Spring Train off Gibraltar, 3/1982; relations with Admiral Sandy Woodward; ships participating in Exercise Spring Train. Recollections of operations commanding HMS Coventry during Falklands War, 1982: first news of invasion of Falkland Islands, 4/1982; activities on route to Ascension Island including transfer of personnel; reaction to start of conflict; re-supplying at Ascension Island; preparations for going to war; attitude of ratings to prospect of involvement in conflict; anchoring off Ascension Island.
REEL 5 Continues: reasons for painting black stripe on funnel and other changes; joining forward elements of Task Force; communications; attitude to being on war footing; exercise to practice boarding of surface ships; intelligence available on Argentinean air and naval forces; sources of strength of Royal Navy; arrival of aircraft carriers; problems maintaining radars; defensive role of BAE Sea Harriers for defence; threat of Argentinean air attack, 1/5/1982; awareness of position of General Belgrano and initial reaction to sinking; threat posed by General Belgrano.
REEL 6 Continues: sinking of HMS Sheffield by Exocet missile, 4/5/1982; bombardment of Stanley airfield and damage to HMS Glasgow; role of ship in countering Argentinean air threat; shooting down two Argentinean Douglas Skyhawks with one Sea Dart missile; forward air defence duties during landings at San Carlos Water, 21/5/1982; access to Argentinean communications; losses during landings at San Carlos Water, 21/5/1982; awareness of Argentinean threat, 25/5/1982; character of attack on ship by Argentinean aircraft, 25/5/1982; bomb damage to ship.
REEL 7 Continues: casualties in ship's operations room; abandoning ship; behaviour of crew whilst abandoning ship; rescue by HMS Broadsword; nature of wounds; evacuation in QE2 from South Georgia to GB; reaction to sinking; surprise at public interest in sinking; reasons for writing book 'Four Weeks in May'; lessons learnt from Falklands War; pattern of career after Falklands War; attitude to taking ship to war.