Command in a Short War: The Falklands in 1982

Command in a Short War: The Falklands in 1982

01 Apr 25
Posted by: RAdm Mike Harris, 9th Baron Harris
6 minutes, 4 seconds read
Message from the Editor

The author recounts his experience during the Falklands War as CO of HMS Cardiff. A 5 minute read.

As a junior Captain I took command of the new Type 42 Batch 1 DDG Cardiff in November 1980 as her second CO, in the depths of the Cold War. I was a submariner who had commanded two submarines, an SSN and an SSK, my first ship having been the just-post-war destroyer Scorpion, a unit of the 7th Destroyer Squadron, serving in the Home and Mediterranean Fleets. At that time the surface Navy was built around the steam-driven Leander-class frigates. The gas-turbine-powered Type 42s were new and unfamiliar and viewed with some suspicion, partly because of their newness, partly because of their ‘short…

You are not currently logged in. Please sign in now or click here to join today.