henry d Posted May 12, 2007 Report Share Posted May 12, 2007 Today is a special day for me, again it relates to 25 years ago during the Falklands conflict. I was looking at my diary and here are a few dates leading up to today – 9/5/82 – A Seaking helo had picked up survivors/prisoners from a spy ship(the Narwhal, an Argentinian trawler) that was attacked and holed by Harriers and boarded by SBS, but didn`t have sufficient fuel to get back to Hermes(?) so we had to fuel it. This wasn`t as easy as it may appear as the flightdeck is too small for a big helo like the Seaking, so they decided to land side on with just one wheel on the flightdeck in a rolling sea !!!!! The blades of the helo were just 2 feet from the top of the hanger roof. 10/5/82 – “At 0530 Z we bombarded Stanley common with approx 130 VI shells (4.5â€) .....†We also shelled missile guidance stations later that morning with our helo spotting the hits. It was our successes at NGS that led to this happening....... 12/5/82 – We again attacked shore positions in the morning along with Brilliant, who provided our close range defence, and at approx. 5 pm drew no fewer than eight Skyhawk fighter-bombers armed with 1000lb bombs. The lead two pairs arriving just as the Sea Harrier Combat Air Patrol was in the process of handing over. The first four Skyhawks came in very low and fast, so the Sea Dart missiles did not acquire the targets until the range was too short for the missile system. HMS Brilliant fired its shorter ranged Sea Wolf missiles for the first time operationally, the first two missiles hit and destroyed the lead pair of Skyhawks. The third Skyhawk in the formation hit the debris of the first two in mid-air, causing it to crash as well. Our Seadart acquired the next wave of Skyhawks but malfunctioned and didn`t fire and to compound it Brilliants Seawolf wouldn`t fire either !!! We were hit by a 1000lb bomb which, thankfully didn`t detonate !! The Skyhawk was shot down near Goose Green and was piloted by Lt.Gavazzi. The bomb hit the starboard side of the After Engine Room(AER) just above the waterline just above and aft of a 4000psi air compressor and it`s 5 foot tall cylinders, it ruptured the fire main so water was rushing in the ships side and through the main until it was isolated. The bomb smashed the air intakes to the Tyne gas turbine engines, the fuel filling trunk and aft ready use fuel tank and departed out the port side at the waterline and ruptured the bulkhead to the After Auxilliary Machinery Room(AAMR) and the auxiliary boiler fuel tanks. Both the AER and the AAMR were awash with water and diesel and a pal of mine “Cloggy†Cartwright was attepting to block the hole with a shock mat but the sea kept surging in and out so he just stuck his backside into the hole to stop as much water as possible !!!! He was mentioned in dispatches for this as at anytime he could have been washed backward into the South Atlantic ! It took until 0200 to get the holes shored and wedged and the flooding under control and we had another 2 attacks during this time. I remember being so knackered by the time we had finished as we were in survival suits to save us from the cold water but as we were shoring and wedging etc etc. the suits were topping up with our sweat……yeuck!! Eventually we attempted to make more solid repairs with steel plate which meant steaming around in circles and setting the ships stabilizers to lean the ship one way then the other. This was to assist the guys welding as water and welding isn`t a happy mix !! We had a good bit of clearing up to do after and several of us found pieces of the bomb, one lad even had the primer flywheel which had the immortal words stamped into it “Made in Great Britain†!!!!!!!! The bomb fragment The repaired damage on return to the UK One of the 4.5" shells from the bombardments cut to size and fitted with a Falklands 50p piece. Arms cache with booby trapped grenades!!!! Target practice(Oct/Nov `82) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted May 12, 2007 Report Share Posted May 12, 2007 Must have been one heck of an experience HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted May 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2007 The experience has been the extra 25 years I have been given unlike Lt.Gavazzi and I give my heartfelt my commiserations to his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the last engineer Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 again, admiration to you and those who served Henry , i can only imagine......................................................................... .......................... Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 I still cant get my head round it all being 25 years ago. good right up H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Quality post H, fair play to you and the others that served Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkBoy Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 Quality post H, fair play to you and the others that served I remember being so inspired by the images of the R.M's yomping towars Stanley that I signed up the following year on my 16th birthday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markbivvy Posted May 15, 2007 Report Share Posted May 15, 2007 top man. H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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