A civilian, whose job supported the Falklands Task Force, relates his experiences on board the three ships of the amphibious group sailing south. His recollections were freshened by reference to the diary he kept throughout the confl ict.
FALKLANDS CONFLICT | AN ANONYMOUS ACCOUNT
On Good Friday 35 years ago, living up to all the clichés, the P&O liner SS Canberra sailed down the Solent towards a blood red sunset into we didn’t know what.
On board the atmosphere had a tinge of nostalgia – British troops sailing off to a conflict halfway around the world, yet there was a feeling such a conflict couldn’t possibly happen, although none could see how it would be stopped.
The ‘Great White Whale’, as she became nicknamed, left Southampton to the soulful notes of Rod Stewart’s ‘Sailing’ played by bands from the Parachute Regiment and the Royal Marines. She had embarked 40 and 42 Commando and 3 PARA, and a number of other units and specialists.
After the first night at sea, the customary ‘let’s get on with it’ attitude clicked in. Work continued on building a flight deck forward of the superstructure, and once in the South West Approaches a Sea King from Culdrose made trial landings on the existing centre flight deck.
