24 are killed as Argentine jets inflict double blow in fleet

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David Fairhall, defence correspondent The Guardian, Thursday 27 May 1982 10 !8 "ST #rticle history

T$enty%four "ritish sailors died and a&out the sa'e nu'&er $ere in(ured $hen the destroyer )MS *oventry and the *unard container ship #tlantic *onveyor $ere destroyed &y #r+entinian air attac,s off the Fal,lands, the Ministry of Defence disclosed yesterday The container ship % on $hich four 'en died % $as -orth%east of the islands, &ein+ escorted in to the San *arlos &rid+ehead to unload 'ilitary stores $hen she $as hit &y t$o sea%s,i''in+ ./ocet 'issiles of the ,ind that san, *oventry0s sister ship )MS Sheffield There $as al'ost no $arnin+ The Super%.tendard naval &o'&ers that launched the ./ocets $ere too lo$ over the sea to sho$ on radar, &ut their pilots $ere heard tal,in+ to one another #tlantic *onveyor cau+ht fire and $as a&andoned 1alua&le stores and pro&a&ly so'e *hinoo, heavy%lift helicopters $ere lost $ith her % &ut not the vitally i'portant )arrier fi/ed%$in+ aircraft that had already (u'ped across to the "ritish carriers The 2,!00%ton Type 12 destroyer *oventry $as stationed in an air%defence pic,et off the northern entrance of Fal,land Sound, apparently acco'panied &y the Type 22 fri+ate )MS "roads$ord Durin+ the 'ornin+ she had shot do$n t$o #r+entinian attac,ers, pro&a&ly S,yha$,s, $ith her SeaDart 'issiles "ut late in the afternoon four S,yha$,s ca'e off the land and hit her $ith several &o'&s She did not &urn li,e her sister ship &ut $as severely crippled Soon after her 280%'an cre$ had a&andoned her, $ith 20 dead in the attac, and another 20 or so in(ured, she capsi3ed "roads$ord has &een sli+htly da'a+ed &ut she has no casualties *oventry is the fourth 4oyal -avy ship to &e lost since the Fal,lands ca'pai+n &e+an and #tlantic *onveyor the first civilian au/iliary To lose the' &oth on the sa'e day is

clearly a heavy &lo$ to the tas, force co''ander, 4ear #d'iral Sandy 5ood$ard, &ut the result of the ./ocet attac, could have &een far $orse The #r+entinian pilots al'ost certainly &elieved they had launched their 'issiles at one of the t$o "ritish aircraft carriers, )er'es and 6nvinci&le 5hat $ould have &een for the' a triu'phant cele&ration of #r+entina0s national independence day % after $hich their o$n carrier is called the 2!th of May % turned out to &e a relatively 'inor success "y no$ 'ost of the heavy stores and e7uip'ent needed &y the !,000 4oyal Marines and paratroopers esta&lished around San *arlos have &een landed % five &i+ supply ships left the anchora+e on Tuesday ni+ht % and so'e of the $arships that have escorted the' in and out durin+ the ni+ht and protected the' at such heavy cost durin+ the day $ill soon &e a&le to 'ove &ac, offshore They have done their (o& so $ell that only t$o naval au/iliaries actually in the anchora+e, the ice tan, landin+ ships Sir 8ancelot and Sir Galahad, have &een sli+htly da'a+ed The nu'&er of #r+entinian aircraft &rou+ht do$n over the Fal,lands since Sunday is rec,oned to &e 29 and the Defence Secretary Mr :ohn -ott told the )ouse of *o''ons yesterday the total for fi/ed $in+ aircraft since hostilities &e+an $as !0 The "ritish *hiefs of Staff ta,e considera&le co'fort fro' this 'assive depletion of #r+entinian air resources and the fact that only five of their )arriers had &een lost up to yesterday in spite of continued raids on the airfields at ;ort Stanley and Goose Green They are also hopin+ that they have their arith'etic correct in calculatin+ that the #r+entinian navy has only one air%launched ./ocet 'issile left and that efforts to find 'ore in #frica and South #'erica or adapt the ship%launched version $ill &e unsuccessful # helicopter landin+ pad $hich 'i+ht later ta,e )arriers is no$ &ein+ prepared at San *arlos and plans have evidently &een 'ade for the first &i+ deploy'ent of land forces outside the initial &rid+ehead 6ndeed, reports $ere circulatin+ $idely in 5hitehall last ni+ht that land forces had &e+un to 'ove out of the San *arlos area and $ere advancin+ deep into .ast%Fal,land <ne report said that the Goose Green position had &een ta,en, &ut Ministry of Defence sources insisted they had no infor'ation a&out such activity #n advance into the heart of .ast Fal,land $ould confor' $ith the +overn'ent vie$ that a speedy 'ilitary conclusion is desira&le The Defence Secretary told the *o''ons yesterday= ><ur +round forces are no$ poised to &e+in their thrust upon ;ort Stanley > "ehind the', he added, $ere another 2,000 'en of Five "ri+ade a&oard the liner ?.2, $hile for the #r+entinian +arrison, reinforce'ent and resupply $as virtually denied The a'&itious tone of Mr -ott0s re'ar,s a&out attac,in+ ;ort Stanley 'ay &e a hint that the #r+entinian detach'ent at ;ort Dar$in and the Goose Green airstrip 20 'iles south of the "ritish &rid+ehead is of insi+nificant stren+th

"y no$ the "ritish $ill ,no$ &ecause they have &een patrollin+ and o&servin+ for so'e days <n Tuesday they 'ade contact $ith $hat sounds li,e an #r+entinian patrol and they 'ust &e ready to 'a,e their o$n 'ove, one $ay or another, at any ti'e Mr -ott $as spea,in+ in part of his chiefs of staff $hen he told M;s that &y any historical standard this $ill &e seen to have &een one of the 'ost re'ar,a&le lo+istic and 'ilitary achieve'ents of recent ti'es
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/1982/may/27/argentina.military? INT !"#I$ N%TT&T'(87