By the time of
the surrender, a number of ships were already
well on their way north or had reached the UK,
including nuclear submarine "Splendid",
destroyer "Glasgow", frigates
"Alacrity" and "Argonaut",
RFA "Fort Austin", some of the BP
tankers and the "Queen Elizabeth 2" to
her great welcome. Although more ships would soon
follow, a first priority was to start getting the
land forces home as soon as "Canberra"
and "Norland" had played their part in
taking the large number of Argentine POW's off
Britain's hands and back to their homeland. First
to leave were 3 Cdo Bde and the attached Paras,
with 5th Infantry staying on (most of 2nd
Scots Guards moved to West Falkland) until the
arrival of the first garrison troops, 1st
Battalion, The Queen's Own Highlanders who
reached the Falklands in mid-July on "Norland":
3 Commando Brigade
40
Cdo, 42 Cdo and Z Coy 45 Cdo on "Canberra",
departed on 25th June from Falklands and arrived
Southampton on 11th July
45
Cdo including X and Y
Coy on RFA
"Stromness", late June from Falklands. Arrived
Ascension 7th/8th July and flew home by VC.10, landing
near Arbroath on the 8th and 9th July
M
Coy 42 Cdo on
"Nordic Ferry", 8th July from South Georgia. Arrived
Ascension and flew to RAF St Mawgan
2
and 3 Para on "Norland", 25th June from Falklands. Arrived
Ascension 5th July and flew by VC.10 to Brize
Norton on 6th July
5th Infantry Brigade
2nd
Scots and 1st Welsh Guards on "Norland", c19th July from Falklands. Arrived
Ascension and flew by VC.10 to Brize Norton on 29th July.
1/7th
Gurkha Rifles
on "Uganda", 18th July from Falklands and arrived
Southampton on 9th August.
Ships and Aircraft
Some ships sadly
would not be returning - destroyers "Coventry" and
"Sheffield", frigates
"Antelope" and
"Ardent", LSL "Sir
Galahad" and the
"Atlantic Conveyor" - but by the end of
August, most
of the others had left the Falklands area (some
later made a second trip) to be replaced by a
smaller number of destroyers and frigates and
other vessels mostly on their first journey
south. Amongst these were four merchantmen, two
minesweepers and their support ship "St
Helena" all of which which sailed from the
UK before the surrender. MCMS "Brecon"
and "Ledbury" arrived in early July to relieve the five
minesweeping trawlers, and spent the next five
weeks hunting for any ground mines laid by the
Argentines, none of which were found.
Of the major
warships, assault ships "Fearless" and
"Intrepid" set sail a week and a half
after the surrender, and arrived at Portsmouth on
the 14th July after first unloading Marines and
Sea Kings of No.846 NAS at Devonport. As for the
carriers, until the arrival of the RAF Phantoms
at Stanley, only their Harriers could provide
much of the air defence still needed by the
Falklands. Following the surrender,
"Invincible's" first priority was to
sail well clear to the north, escorted by frigate
"Andromeda" in order to change a main
engine. "Hermes" remained behind until
"Invincible" was back, and on the 4th July sailed with escort
"Broadsword" for Portsmouth, arriving
on the 21st to another great welcome. Well
before then, on the 2nd July, Admiral Woodward was
relieved as Task Group commander by Rear Admiral
Reffell flying his flag on destroyer
"Bristol".
But there was no
relief for "Invincible" which had to
await the arrival of newly-commissioned sister
ship "Illustrious" carrying a reformed
No.809 Sea Harrier squadron and the first early
airborne warning Sea Kings. Reaching the
Falklands on the 27th August, and after a day's
vertrep, "Invincible" was at last able
to head north on the 28th accompanied by "Bristol"
and later RFA "Olna", arriving at
Portsmouth on the 17th September to be met by Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II. After 166 days at sea,
"Invincible" claimed the record for the
longest continuous carrier operations ever.
The Sea Harriers and most
of the Navy, Marine and Army helicopters went back to the
UK with the returning ships. As for the RAF, mainly based at or flying to
Ascension, the few Vulcan bombers flew home by the time
of the surrender, and the last Nimrod MR.2's continued
operating from Ascension until August, but even then, there was little
let-up for the other aircraft. VC.10's maintained the
air-link between the UK and Ascension, returning with
many of the troops from there. Hercules transports flew
south regularly, and from late June were landing at
Stanley. (By then, two members of 47 Sqdn had earned
gallantry awards for their air-drop missions.) And for
many more months, Victor tankers and later Hercules
conversions refuelled the extended range Nimrods and
Hercules deep into the South Atlantic and on to the
Falklands. On the island itself, a number of Harrier
GR.3's of 1(F) Sqdn once again fitted with Sidewinder for
air defence, were based at Stanley, but in October, 29(F) Sqdn Phantoms flew down
from Ascension to the newly opened RAF Stanley to start
taking over from them.Finally there was the question of the last
resting place for those British dead not buried or lost
at sea. The policy had long been for those killed on
active service to remain in the country where they fell,
but many families chose to bring their men home. In October, LSL "Sir Bedivere" left
the Falklands carrying over sixty back to the UK.
Another
sixteen however, including Lt Col Jones VC, stayed in the
Falklands. |
|
POST-WAR MOVEMENTS TO AND FROM THE FALKLAND'S
AREA & SOUTH ATLANTIC |
| |
|
DEPARTURES
FROM SOUTH ATLANTIC |
ARRIVALS
(excluding new Merchantmen) |
|
15th-20th
June 1982, Week Twelve |
RN - SSN Conqueror, FR Arrow, |
- |
|
21st-30th
June 1982, end of Month Three |
RN - DD Antrim, Glamorgan, FR
Brilliant, Plymouth; Assault ships Fearless,
Intrepid; Ambulance ships Hecla, Herald RFA - RFA Blue Rover, Olmeda,
Resource, Stromness; LSL's Sir Geraint, Sir
Percivale
MN - Transports Canberra,
Elk, Europic Ferry |
MN - Transport Astronomer,
Tanker G A Walker |
|
July 1982,
Month Four |
RN - SSN Courageous? Spartan,
Valiant; SS Onyx; CV Hermes; DD Cardiff, Exeter;
FR Broadsword, Active, Ambuscade, Minerva,
Yarmouth; IPV Endurance; Despatch vessels
Dumbarton Castle, Leeds Castle; Minesweepers
Cordella, Farnella, Junella, Northella, Pict
RFA - RFA's Engadine,
Tidespring; LSL Sir Lancelot; Support tankers
Appleleaf, Pearleaf, Plumleaf (already in Central
Atlantic);
RMAS Goosander (from Ascension)
MN - Transports Atlantic
Causeway, Contender Bezant (makes 2nd trip),
Nordic Ferry; Hospital ship/transport Uganda;
Tankers Balder London, Eburna; Repair ship Stena
Seaspread |
RN - DD Birmingham,
Southampton; FR Apollo, Bacchante, Danae,
Diomede; MCMS Brecon, Ledbury and support ship St
Helena RFA - RFA Olwen
ARMY - RCT landing craft
Antwerp, Arromanches
MN - Transport Avelona Star,
Laertes |
|
August
1982, Month Five |
RN - CV Invincible; DD
Bristol; FR Avenger, Andromeda, Penelope; MCMS
Brecon, Ledbury and support ship St Helena;
Ambulance ship Hydra RFA - RFA's Olna, Regent,
Tidepool (to Chilean Navy); Support tanker
Bayleaf
MN
- Transports
Geestport, Laertes, Tor Caledonia; Dispatch
vessel British Enterprise III; Mooring vessel
Wimpey Seahorse |
RN - CV Illustrious; FR
Amazon, Battleaxe; Survey ship Hecate as ice
patrol vessel |
|
September,
Month Six |
RN - DD Birmingham,
Southampton; FR Apollo, Danae, Diomede RFA - RFA Fort Grange; RMAS
tug Typhoon |
RN - DD Glasgow (2nd visit),
Newcastle; FR Phoebe, Sirius RFA - Fort Austin, Olmeda
(both 2nd visit) |
|
October-December
1982 |
RN - CV Illustrious; DD
Glasgow (after 2nd visit), Newcastle; FR
Battleaxe, Brazen Amazon, Bacchante (to Royal New
Zealand Navy), Phoebe, Sirius RFA - RFA's Fort Austin (after
2nd visit), Olmeda (after 2nd visit), Olwen; LSL
Sir Bedivere; Support tanker Brambleleaf
MN - Transports Astronomer,
Avelona Star (makes further visits); Tanker
British Avon; Dispatch vessel Iris; Tug Irishman |
RN - DD Antrim (2nd visit),
Liverpool; FR Brazen, Ariadne, Charybdis, Minerva
(2nd visit) RFA - RFA Fort Grange, Tidespring (both
2nd visit) |
|
1983 and
after - Departures from South
Atlantic |
RN - DD Antrim (after 2nd
visit), Liverpool; FR - Ariadne, Charybdis,
Minerva (after 2nd visit); Survey ship Hecate
RFA - RFA's Fort Grange (after
2nd visit), Tidespring (after 2nd visit); LSL Sir
Tristram
MN - Transports Baltic Ferry,
Lycaon, Norland, St Edmund; Tankers Anco Charger,
British Esk, British Tamar, British Tay, British
Trent (all after reloading trips north), Alvega (Ascension
base storage),
G A Walker and Scottish Eagle (both Stanley base storage); Water
tanker Fort Toronto; Repair ship Stena Inspector;
Tugs Salvageman, Yorkshireman |
|
