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Ascension - The main reinforcements reached the island although they just passed by or barely stopped for last minute stores. Over Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th it was the "Bristol" Group, including "Active" (below); next day the 5th Inf Bde transports "Baltic Ferry" and "Nordic Ferry". That same day, "Queen Elizabeth 2" carrying the complete Brigade approached Ascension taking on board Major General Moore and his staff by helicopter after they had flown down from the UK, and by Saturday they were continuing south. Helicopter support ship "Atlantic Causeway" met "QE2" at this time, and around now RMAS mooring ship "Goosander" was assumed to arrive to lay out and maintain moorings. The RAF also made another record-breaking flight. On Thursday, on the eve of D-day, the same Nimrod MR.2 as before but now crewed by 206 Sqdn, flew almost the length of Argentina looking for any sign that the Argentine Navy threatened the amphibious ships. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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South Atlantic -
Only now on Tuesday 18th, as the Amphibious Task Group
was joining the carriers to the north east of the
Falklands, were the San Carlos plans presented to the
full British Cabinet. Admiral Woodward was then given the go ahead by the war
cabinet and final preparations put in hand for the
landing which took place early on Friday morning. By the end of the week, 3 Cdo Bde was safely ashore and digging in,
two type 21 frigates lost and other ships damaged, and
the Argentine air forces were suffering heavily at the
hands of the British defences.By then more ships had
arrived from the north. The sixth and last LSL, "Sir
Bedivere" reached the TEZ before moving on to San Carlos, and by Saturday morning
(22nd) destroyer
"Exeter" and frigate "Ambuscade" had
joined the CVBG. The latter's sister ship
"Antelope" also got in from escorting
"Tidespring" to Ascension, but soon moved on to
San Carlos to share the fate of "Ardent".
Another arrival was despatch vessel "Leeds
Castle" although her duties shortly took her to
South Georgia. Other groups of ships also played their part although not involved directly in the fighting. In the Red Cross Box area "Uganda" and "Hecla" were joined in their work by ambulance ship "Hydra", and the TRALA opened for repair business when "Stena Seaspread" arrived from South Georgia. By mid-June this impressive vessel had carried out damage and other repairs in mid-ocean to nearly 40 ships including 11 warships and four captured. Then in South Georgia, and for later delivery to "Stena Seaspread", "Endurance" working parties took on the job of recovering scrap steel from the disused whaling stations for ship repairs, and on Sunday, cargo ship "Saxonia" got in ready to transfer food and other supplies to the RFA's over the next three weeks. |
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