One Hundred Days
Page 59
It should have reached all front line units and authorities in the South Atlantic under the command of CLFFI and myself and gone to all of the 31 warships, 20 RFA ships, 5 minesweepers (ex-trawlers), 43 merchant ships and 13 air squadrons directly involved.
21 July
POSTSCRIPT. Today I went out in FO Portsmouth’s barge to greet HERMES at Spithead before she entered harbour. Lined up on the quarterdeck were all the (now cheery) faces I’d come to know so well. I remembered every name (regrettably bar the Midshipmen who’d kept watch on NESTOR [Secure speech UHF]) thank heavens and was pleased to my very heart to see every one of them. I think my sincerity must have got through to them – I hope so anyway: it was a fantastic experience then and now.
POST/POSTSCRIPT. At about this time, I received a signal which, paraphrased, said ‘Officers serving on promotion boards are to take no account of reportees service in the Falklands. This is because it would be so unfair on those who were unable to attend.’ I had some difficulty believing what I saw in front of me and considered it was just as well it had not been sent on our way down or the outcome might easily have been different. Such a major change from the naval ethos of centuries could only have come from the First Sea Lord. As it was, it explained several subsequent perverse promotions and non-promotions. And it wasn’t until many years later that I confronted the 1982 First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff with it. His complete horror at it made it clear that it hadn’t come from him originally and we agreed that the only possible culprit must have been the then VCNS, William Staveley, who was perhaps concerned that his own promotion might be at risk. He had, previously, refused to take over from me as the suggested three star officer on the grounds that his job as VCNS was too important. It has to be remembered that at that time, the prospects of success were very low indeed.
After which it is only necessary to remind the reader to reread the Foreword to this Diary. In doing so myself, I must end by saying that I am abundantly clear that this diary is very much more an indication of my states of mind at times of stress than it is of anything else. Above all, it is emphatically neither factual history of events nor valid opinion of personalities involved and I unreservedly apologise to anyone who feels hurt or that they have been wronged by the record of my thoughts of the day.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
AAM
Air to Air Missile
AAR
Air(craft) to Air(craft) refuelling
AAW
Anti-Air Warfare
AAWC
Anti-Air Warfare Coordinator/Coordination
a/c
aircraft, also alter course
AD
Air Defence
ADEX
Air Defence Exercise
AER
After Engine Room
AEW
Airborne Early Warning
A4
Argentinian ground and ship attack aircraft
AMP
Afloat Maintenance Period
AM39
air-launched Exocet missile
AOA
Amphibious Operating Area
Arg
Argentinian
A69
Argentinian corvette/small frigate
ASW
Anti-Submarine Warfare
AW
Amphibious Warfare
BAHIA PARAISO
Argentinian supply/hospital ship
BG
Battle Group – the group of ships that included HERMES and/or INVINCIBLE
Black Buck
code word for Vulcan bomber attacks on Port Stanley airfield
CAG
Carrier Air Group
Canberra
Argentinian medium bomber
CAP
Combat Air Patrol, i.e. fighter cover
CAS
Close Air Support
CBU
Cluster Bomb
chaff
radar confusing decoy
Chaff Sierra
ships acting as chaff
CinC
Commander in Chief Fleet at Northwood: also overall Commander of the (Falklands) Task Force
CT
Communications Intercept Technician
CLFFI
Commander Land Forces Falkland Islands
COMAW
Commodore Amphibious Warfare and Commander of the Amphibious Group
C130
Hercules Transport Aircraft
CONX
CONQUEROR (SSN)
Corporate
Code word for the Falklands operation
COS
Chief(s) of Staff
CPA
Closest Point of Approach
c-t
a probably otherwise excellent person who has done something I disapproved of
CTG
Commander Task Group
CVA
large aircraft carrier capable of operating fixed wing aircraft by means of boosted take-off and arrested landing facilities e.g. ARA ‘25 de Mayo’
CVBG
Aircraft Carrier Battle Group
CVS
anti-submarine (and STOVL) aircraft carrier e.g. INVINCIBLE
DA
Direct Action
DC
Damage Control
DD
destroyer – generic
DDG
T42 Guided missile armed destroyer
Dipper
dipping (active) sonar helicopter
DLG
GLAMORGAN/ANTRIM type destroyer
DSSS
Long-range secure speech radio
E
east
ESM
Electronic Support Measures – usually kit to detect other radar transmissions
Etendard
Argentinian aircraft
EZ
Exclusion Zone
F
wind force – Beaufort wind strength
FAB
Forward Air Base
FF
frigate
F/F
fire fighting
F4
Phantom (aircraft) all weather indicator
FI
Falkland Islands
FIXP
Falklands Islands Exercise Programme
Flash
highest urgency indicator for signals
Flasher
eye damage laser
Fleet
Staff of CinC; HQ of CinC
FOB
Forward Operating Base
FOF1/2/3
Flag Officer First/Second/Third Flotilla
FOSM
Flag Officer Submarines
F/V
Fishing Vessel
GPMG
General Purpose Machine Gun
GR3
Harrier Ground Attack (STOVL) aircraft
gun line
firing position of bombarding ship – Ships normally form a line for this purpose
GWO
Group Welfare Officer
GWS 25
Sea Wolf system
GWS 30
Sea Dart system
HAG
Helicopter Attack Group (vs surface ships)
HDS
Helo Delivery Service
HE
Hydrophone Effect – noise (particularly of propellers)
helo
helicopter
HF
High Frequency radio (medium to long range)
HOM
Home on Jamming
HVU
High Value Unit (e.g. INVINCIBLE, HERMES)
IFF
Identification Friend or Foe
Junglies
strictly, the aircrew of Commando helicopters
Jez
Passive acoustic buoy system for detection of submarine HE
kts
knots – nautical miles per hour
LCU
Landing Craft Utility (as carried on FEARLESS/INTREPID)
>
LGB
Laser Guided Bomb
LOLA
Loitering and Logistics Area
LSL
Landing Ship Logistic e.g. SIR GALAHAD
Lt Cdr
Lieutenant Commander – army equivalent ‘Major’
Lynx
small multi-role helicopter generally carried by frigates
LZ
Landing Zone
Mirage
Argentinian fighter and ground attack aircraft
MOB
Main Operating Base
MOD
Ministry of Defence
MRR
Maritime Radar Reconnaissance – surface surveillance
MSAM
Medium range Surface-to-Air Missile – Sea Dart in T42s, DLGs and BRISTOL
M/V
merchant vessel
N
north
nav
navigational
NGS
Naval Gunfire Support (of land forces); also bombardment of shore installations
Nimrod
British anti-submarine and surface surveillance aircraft
nm
nautical mile
OIC
Officer-in-Charge
ops
operations
picket
isolated ship put out to give early warning of enemy approach; several pickets would form an outer screen; normally associated with anti-aircraft warfare
PR
Public Relations or Photographic Reconnaissance
PSA
Port Stanley Airfield
pump-over
cargo transfer of fuel – e.g. from supply to operational tanker
push
aviator jargon for sortie/raid/effort
PWS
Port William (outer) and Port Stanley (inner) harbours
QHM
Queen’s Harbour Master
Rad Alt
Radio Altimeter
Rapier
short range surface to air missile system used ashore
RAS
Replenishment at Sea – from ship to ship
RAS(A)
Replenishment At Sea of Ammunition
RAS(L)
Replenishment At Sea of Liquids – fuel, water
RAS(S)
Replenishment At Sea of Solids
recce
reconnaissance
RFA
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship e.g. tankers, stores/ammunition ships
ROA
Radius of Action
ROE
Rules of Engagement – a set of rules by which military action may be constrained politically, variable with time, place and situation
ROP
Report of Proceedings – Commander’s narrative of events, comment and criticism
RR
aircraft carrier
RTB
Return to Base
r/v
rendezvous
S
south
SAEVO
Staff Aviation Engineering Officer
SAGEX
Surface Action Group Exercise
SAR
Sea Air Rescue; better known as Air Sea Rescue
SAVO
Staff Aviation Officer
S boats
Swiftsure type SSN
Sea Cat
obsolescent short range surface to air missile system in ships
Sea Dart/SD
medium range surface to air missile system in T42s and BRISTOL
Searchwater
Nimrod surface surveillance radar
Sea Skua
helicopter air to surface missile system in Lynx
Sea Slug
medium surface to air missile system in GLAMORGAN and ANTRIM
Sea Wolf
short range surface to air missile system in ships
SHAR
Sea Harrier STOVL aircraft
SK
Sea King – generic
SK4
Sea King helicopter Mark 4 – troop and stores transport
SK5
ASW Sea King helicopter Mark 5
Skyhawk
A4 Argentinian attack aircraft
SM
submarine
SNORC
Short Notice Operational Readiness Check
SPA
Submarine Patrol Area
splash
shoot down
SSK
conventionally powered attack submarine
SSN
nuclear powered attack submarine
STOVL
Short Take-Off/Vertical Landing Aircraft – Harriers
SWO(U)
Staff Warfare Officer (Underwater Warfare)
tacdi
tactical direction of attack aircraft from a surveillance aircraft
TEZ
Total Exclusion Zone
T42
SHEFFIELD type destroyer
TML
Twelve Mile Limit
Tracker
Argentinian twin-engined anti-submarine and surface surveillance aircraft
TRALA
Tugs, Replenishment and Loitering Area (well to E of Battle Group)
T12
PLYMOUTH type frigate
T21
ALACRITY type frigate
T22
BROADSWORD type frigate
TXA
Total Exclusion Area
UAA1
An ESM equipment commonly fitted in the Fleet
UHF
Ultra High Frequency (short range) radio
UWT
Underwater Telephone
UXB
Unexploded Bomb
vertrep
vertical replenishnent of stores by helicopter
Vulcan
British ‘V’ bomber
W
west
w/e
weekend
WF
West Falklands
WMR
War Maintenance Reserve
XMT
except
INDEX
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
A4 Skyhawks: description 293;
attack on Glasgow 293–6;
attack on Antelope 389;
attack on Coventry 403–5, 406–7;
attack on aircraft carriers 429–31
Active, HMS 400, 438, 462, 470
Admiral Scheer 159
Advanced (Air) Warfare Officers 13
Adventure Bay 258
Airborne Early Warning (AEW) 4, 10, 11–12, 19, 88, 177, 241, 309
Ajax Bay 409
Alacrity, HMS: and sinking of Sheffield 10;
at Gibraltar 98;
at Ascension 128;
passage to Falklands 147;
man overboard 155;
and Narwal 178, 264, 266;
bombards Stanley 191, 194, 252, 254;
attacked 195;
line of defence 217;
up Falkland Sound 280, 282, 283;
hits Isla de los Estados 284;
and proposed raid on Rio Grande 318;
and Battle Group 345;
and loss of Atlantic Conveyor 421;
sent home 451
Alferez, Sobral 233
Allara, Rear Admiral Gualter 204
Ambuscade, HMS 388, 418, 438, 469
Ames, Chief Petty Officer Jan 14, 16–17, 295, 296
amphibians: reliance on 113;
problems of 116, 117–18;
failure to understand 125–6, 128;
operating area 124, 323, 344–5
see also following entry
Amphibious Group 123, 137, 183, 325–34, 345;
and landing 350, 358
Anaya, Almirante Jorge 82, 91, 104, 178, 226–7, 231, 399
Andromeda, HMS 400, 468
Antelope, HMS xx, 98, 388, 389; loss of 398–90
Anti-Air Warfare: Exercise 153;
Commander 250–1
Anti-flash gear 245, 381
Antrim, HMS xiv, 83, 93, 94–5, 98, 108, 110, 137, 147;