Only two days after
arriving, three of the RAF Harrier GR.3's
started their ground attacks by hitting a fuel dump at
Fox Bay East with
CBU's. Then next morning, Friday the 21st,
and after G Sqdn SAS reported Argentine helicopters
dispersing at night from Stanley, a number were caught on
the ground near
Mount Kent and a Chinook
and Puma destroyed by 30mm cannon fire [a31, a32]. Later
that morning, two more aircraft left "Hermes" but one had to
return with undercarriage problems. The lone Harrier carried
on and during a photo-reconaissance run over
Port Howard was hit by ground-fire
and crashed [b13]. The pilot,
Flt Lt Glover ejected and
was taken prisoner of war.
The first reaction
to the landings was by Falklands-based
aircraft. Grupo 3 Pucaras took
off from Goose Green as "Ardent" shelled the airstrip, and
one was shot down over Sussex Mountains by
a Stinger SAM fired by D Sqdn SAS pulling back from the
Darwin raid [a33]. Then a single Aermacchi MB-339A of CANA
1 Esc from Stanley
made a cannon and
rocket attack on "Argonaut" at 10 am causing minor damage
and some casualties. Thereafter, mainland-based sorties
that day led to heavy losses on both sides with five of
the ships on the defending gunline lost
or hit by bombs or cannon fire, and only "Plymouth" and
"Yarmouth" escaping damage. One more Pucara and nine
Daggers and Skyhawks were lost to the Sea Harriers on CAP
and one to a SAM fired by warships. The fierce AA fire
from ship and shore made the Argentine aircraft come in
low and fast, and although many of their bombs were on
target, they failed to explode. Fortunately, they also
failed to hit the transports. The main raids took place
around 10.30 am, 1.00 pm and
3.00 pm.
First to arrive were a total of
eight Daggers of Grupo 6. Attacking the northern end of
the gunline, "Broadsword" was hit by cannon fire and
"Antrim" also badly damaged by a UXB with casualties on
both ships, but no one killed. One of the Daggers [a34]
was brought down probably by a Sea Wolf from "Broadsword".
"Antrim" then moved towards
San Carlos Water where
the bomb was removed, before heading that night for the
CVBG. Shortly after midday, the Sea Harriers on CAP had
their first success of the day. Two Grupo 3 Pucaras
from Goose Green attacked a nearby naval gunfire observer
directing "Ardent's" fire from out in Grantham Sound,
three No.801 aircraft
closed in, and shot one of them down with cannon fire
[a35].
right - HMS Ardent mortally
damaged with 22 men killed and 30 injured. The frigate
standing by is probably HMS Yarmouth which took off
"Ardent's" survivors (Courtesy - MOD, Navy)
The next mainland attacks
were due an hour later at 1.00 pm by eight Skyhawks. Only
two of the four Grupo 5 aircraft reached
West Falkland because of fuelling problems, and one of these
wasted its bombs on the abandoned "Rio Carcarana" in Port
King. The fourth however carried on north up Falkland Sound
and near-missed "Ardent" with two bombs. At "Brilliant's"
command, two No.800 Sea Harriers chased the returning
aircraft without success, but instead spotted the next four
incoming Skyhawks from Grupo 4 over Chartres in West
Falkland. They tried to escape, but two went down to
Sidewinders (see photo below) near Christmas
Harbour [a36, a37]. Then
the afternoon sorties followed, starting
at 2.30 pm with six Skyhawks of Grupo 5 which nearly put
paid to "Argonaut" (some sources put this raid in the
morning). Deluged by near misses, two bombs hit without
exploding but two men were killed in the Sea Cat magazine.
Steaming at high speed and with engine and steering controls
damaged, she was anchored by the action
of Sub Lt Morgan, but had
to stay in the area for a week until the UXB's were removed
and the damage temporarily repaired.
Next, twelve Daggers of Grupo 6
were due to arrive. Out of the first group of six from
Rio Grande, two aborted
and as the remaining four came in over West Falkland,
"Brilliant" vectored two No.800 NAS Sea Harriers and one
of the Daggers [a38] was shot down near
Teal River Inlet by yet
another Sidewinder missile. The three surviving aircraft
pressed on and caught "Ardent" still in
Grantham Sound. Coming
in from astern they blanketed her with hits and
near-misses destroying her Lynx [b14] and Sea Cat
installation and killing a number of men. With only small
arms fire left for defence, she headed for the protection
of the other escorts off San Carlos Water. As these three
Daggers got away, six more
from San Julian arrived
in two flights of three. The first hit "Brilliant" with
cannon fire causing slight damage and some casualties
before they safely headed back, but the second flight was
wiped out before even reaching the target area. Picked up
over West Falkland by "Brilliant" again, two No.801 Sea
Harriers shot them down with Sidewinders to
the north of Port Howard
[a39, a40, a41].
The last attacks started
some
30 minutes later by two flights of A-4Q Skyhawks of 3 Esc
in the only Navy sorties to reach the Falklands that day.
The first three aircraft caught poor "ARDENT" off
North West Island and
again from the stern, bracketed her with hits and near
misses. Badly damaged, on fire aft and flooding, with 22
men killed and some 30 injured, Cmdr
West ordered abandon
ship and "Yarmouth" came alongside to pick up the
survivors. "Ardent" finally sank the following evening.
One of the CANA Skyhawks was damaged by the return small
arms fire, and all three were caught by two No.800 Sea
Harriers
near Swan Island. One
was shot down by Sidewinder [a42], cannon fire destroyed a
second [a43] and hit the already damaged third. Unable to
land at
Stanley with
undercarriage problems, the pilot of this one ejected
[a44]. The second CANA flight ran in fifteen minutes
later, but failed to hit any of the ships. The Sea
Harriers continued to fly CAP, but there were no more
raids that day and the transports continued unloading.