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	On 25 May 1982 (the same day as the loss of ]) ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was hit by two<ref name = "Times"/> AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by two Argentine Navy ] jet fighters. The mission was led by Corvette Captain ], (call sign 'Tito') flying Super Etendard 0753/3-A-203, and his wingman, Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza, (call sign 'Leo') flying in 0754/3-A-204.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/Exocet.html \|title=Argentine Aircraft in the Falklands \|publisher=Britains-smallwars.com \|date= \|accessdate=16 December 2011}}</ref> ~~The objective of the attack was to disable or destroy a British aircraft carrier which would have compromised British air support for the Task Force and landings.~~		On 25 May 1982 (the same day as the loss of ]) ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was hit by two<ref name = "Times"/> AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by two Argentine Navy ] jet fighters. The mission was led by Corvette Captain ], (call sign 'Tito') flying Super Etendard 0753/3-A-203, and his wingman, Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza, (call sign 'Leo') flying in 0754/3-A-204.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/Exocet.html \|title=Argentine Aircraft in the Falklands \|publisher=Britains-smallwars.com \|date= \|accessdate=16 December 2011}}</ref>

	At the time of the attack, ''Conveyor'' was sailing in line abreast with RFA ''Regent'' and the flagship, HMS ''Hermes'', on course 170 and had two helicopters in the air transferring stores.{{fact\|date=May 2014}} The Argentinians had been able to extend the range of their attacking aircraft through in-flight refueling and approached from an unexpected northwesterly direction catching the British by surprise. Avoiding the outer screen of decoys and warships, the pilots managed to close the core ships of the Task Force.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	Bearings recorded on the day indicate that the pilots correctly identified ''Hermes''{{fact\|date=May 2014}} and passed her coordinates to the Exocets at launch. The Exocets were 'Fire and Forget' weapons programmed to fly directly towards the target at low level on autopilot{{fact\|date=May 2014}}, thus avoiding distraction by British chaff decoys from launch until their final approach{{Dubious\|date=May 2014}}<!-- This is bullshit, Exocet flies at low level to avoid detection -->{{Or\|date=May 2014}}

	''Hermes'' and ''Invincible'' carried out their planned defensive manoeuvre of turning their bows towards the threat to reduce their radar profiles. As documented in the Board of Inquiry report into Conveyor’s loss, Hermes ordered the electronically blind Conveyor to turn immediately onto course 040, which would have left her exactly side on to the approaching missiles maximizing her radar profile.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	In the final minute of flight both Exocets turned on their radars to update the location of the target. They looked for the largest ship in the proximity of the original coordinates, which by now (through the manoeuvres) had become Conveyor and they turned towards her.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	Both Exocets struck ''Atlantic Conveyor'' on the port quarter of the ship. There are conflicting accounts on whether the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship's hull,<ref>{{cite book		Both Exocets struck ''Atlantic Conveyor'' on the port quarter of the ship. There are conflicting accounts on whether the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship's hull,<ref>{{cite book

Revision as of 17:07, 27 May 2014

For the Great Atlantic Conveyor in Oceanography, see Thermohaline circulation.

History


Name	Atlantic Conveyor
Operator	Cunard Line
Builder	Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Completed	1970
Identification	IMO number: 6926036
Fate	list error: <br /> list (help) struck by two Exocet missiles on 25 May 1982 Burnt and subsequently abandoned Eventually sank whilst under tow on 28 May 1982
General characteristics
Class and type	Container ship
Tonnage	14,950 tons
Speed	23 kn

v t e Falklands War
Operation Rosario South Georgia Occupation Operation Corporate Paraquet Black Buck Santa Fe Belgrano Sobral Sheffield Pebble Island Mikado Sutton San Carlos Ardent Seal Cove Antelope Atlantic Conveyor Coventry Goose Green Mount Kent Top Malo House Bluff Cove Many Branch Point Mount Harriet Two Sisters Glamorgan Sir Galahad Mount Longdon Cortley Ridge Wireless Ridge Mount Tumbledown Port Stanley Thule & South Sandwich Islands

Falklands War

Operation Rosario

Operation Corporate

Atlantic Conveyor was a British merchant navy ship, registered in Liverpool, that was requisitioned during the Falklands War.

She was hit on 25 May 1982 by two Argentine air-launched AM39 Exocet missiles, killing 12 sailors. Atlantic Conveyor sank whilst under tow on 28 May 1982.

The wrecksite is designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

History

Atlantic Conveyor was a 14,950 ton roll-on, roll-off container ship owned by Cunard. She was built along with six other container ships, each named Atlantic and sailing under different national flags for different companies.

Along with her sister ship, Atlantic Causeway, Atlantic Conveyor was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence at the beginning of the Falklands War through the STUFT system (Ships Taken Up From Trade). Due to the short timescales, the decision that the ship was not "a high-value unit" and a controversy over whether arming auxiliaries was legal, Atlantic Conveyor was not fitted with either an active or a passive defence system.

The ships were used to carry supplies for the Royal Navy Task Force sent by the British government to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentine occupation. Sailing for Ascension Island on 25 April 1982, Atlantic Conveyor carried a cargo of six Wessex helicopters from 848 Naval Air Squadron and five RAF HC.1 Chinooks from No. 18 Squadron RAF. At Ascension, she picked up eight Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers (809 Squadron) and six RAF Harrier GR.3 jump jets.

One Chinook of B flight No. 18 Squadron RAF left the Atlantic Conveyor to support operations on Ascension. With the aircraft stored she then set sail for the South Atlantic. On arrival off the Falklands in mid-May, all of the Harriers were off-loaded to the carriers; the GR.3s going to HMS Hermes while the Sea Harriers were divided amongst the existing squadrons on Hermes and HMS Invincible.

On 25 May 1982 (the same day as the loss of HMS Coventry) Atlantic Conveyor was hit by two AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by two Argentine Navy Super Étendard jet fighters. The mission was led by Corvette Captain Roberto Curilovic, (call sign 'Tito') flying Super Etendard 0753/3-A-203, and his wingman, Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza, (call sign 'Leo') flying in 0754/3-A-204.

Both Exocets struck Atlantic Conveyor on the port quarter of the ship. There are conflicting accounts on whether the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship's hull, or on impact. Due to the presence of both fuel and ammunition that were stored belowdecks, the incendiary effect of the unburnt propellant from the missiles caused an uncontrollable fire. When the fire had burnt out, the ship was boarded but nothing was recovered. While under tow by the requisitioned Tug Irishman, Atlantic Conveyor sank in the early morning of 28 May 1982. All the helicopters but one Chinook, callsign Bravo November, were destroyed in the fire. The loss of these helicopters meant that British troops had to march across the Falklands to recapture Stanley.

Twelve men died in Atlantic Conveyor, including the ship's master, Captain Ian North, who was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). The ship was the first British merchant vessel lost at sea to enemy fire since World War II.

The ship's replacement was built on Tyneside.

Piloting a Sea King helicopter of 820 Naval Air Squadron, Prince Andrew (then second in line to the throne) was first to lift off survivors.

Techniques to defeat anti-ship missiles

A dangerous task carried out by Sea Kings was to act as decoys, to deflect sea-skimming missiles away from surface ships. This was achieved by hovering close to the ship and as the radar seeker could not resolve targets in azimuth the ship/helicopter combination appeared as a single target. If the helicopter was not too high the missile guidance system would aim for the centroid of its apparent target and hopefully pass between the two. Prince Andrew at one point flew his helicopter as an Exocet missile decoy. Chaff rockets aim to seduce a missile with a similar technique by increasing the apparent length of the target.

The size of the ship's radar cross section (RCS) was too great to allow chaff decoys to be effective and their employment would have been unlikely to have affected the outcome. It has also been claimed—incorrectly—that the hull of the ship acted as a decoy against a subsequent Exocet attack.

Crew

The vessel carried a Merchant Navy crew of 33. This included twelve officers (master, chief officer, second officer, third officer, radio officer, chief engineer, second engineer, two third engineers, fourth engineer, electrician and purser), ten petty officers (bosun, four mechanics, two first cooks, second cook & baker, second cook and second steward) and eleven ratings (five seamen, three greasers and three assistant stewards).

Deaths

The 12 men killed in the sinking of Atlantic Conveyor were:

Merchant Navy

Bosun (Petty Officer I) John B. Dobson
Mechanic (Petty Officer I) Frank Foulkes
Assistant Steward David R. S. Hawkins
Mechanic (Petty Officer II) James Hughes
Captain Ian H. North, DSC
Mechanic (Petty Officer II) Ernest M. Vickers

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

First Radio Officer Ronald Hoole
Laundryman Ng Por
Laundryman Chan Chi Shing

Royal Navy

Chief Petty Officer Edmund Flanagan
Air Engineering Mechanic (R) Adrian J. Anslow
Leading Air Engineering Mechanic (L) Don L. Pryce

As the last resting place of the remains of those who died, the wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

The officers' bar on M/V Atlantic Conveyor, built 1984 in Swansea, Wales, is named "The North Bar" after Captain Ian North.

Notes and references

Board of Inquiry into the Loss of SS Atlantic Conveyor
Designation under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 by SI2008/950, Office of Public Sector Information, The National Archives. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
^ Evans, Michael (11 December 2007). "Legal fears left Atlantic Conveyor defenceless". The Times. London.
"Argentine Aircraft in the Falklands". Britains-smallwars.com. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
Chant, Christopher (2001). Air War in the Falklands 1982. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 1-84176-293-8.
http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/EC14467A-DFAF-4030-BDFB-9E1AAF00205E/0/boi_atlanticconveyorpt1.pdf
Royal Air Force (2010). "Royal Air Force CH47 Chinook 'Bravo November'". Royal Air Force. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
Taylor, Robert. "Sea King Rescue, signed by Prince Andrew".
"Flypast brings curtain down on Falklands commemorative events". June 2007. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
"The Helicopter Museum".
Target Detection by Marine Radar, John N Briggs, IEE
Insight Team Sunday Times (1982). War in the Falklands: the Full Story. The Sunday Times. ISBN 0-06-015082-3.

v t e Ships of the Cunard Line
Current fleet	2004 RMS Queen Mary 2 2007 MS Queen Victoria 2010 MS Queen Elizabeth 2024 MS Queen Anne
Former ships 1840–1994	1840 RMS Unicorn 1840 RMS Britannia 1848 SS Satellite 1853 SS Arabia 1856 RMS Persia 1862 RMS Scotia 1863 RMS Hecla 1865 SS Java 1867 SS Russia 1870 SS Abyssinia 1870 SS Parthia 1874 SS Bothnia 1878 SS Aleppo 1879 SS Gallia 1881 SS Servia 1881 SS Catalonia 1882 RMS Aurania 1884 SS Oregon 1884 RMS Umbria 1885 RMS Etruria 1892 RMS Campania 1893 RMS Lucania 1898 SS Ultonia 1899 RMS Ivernia 1899 RMS Saxonia 1903 RMS Carpathia 1903 RMS Pannonia 1904 RMS Slavonia 1905 RMS Carmania 1905 RMS Caronia 1907 RMS Lusitania 1907 RMS Mauretania 1909 SS Thracia 1910 RMS Franconia 1911 RMS Albania 1912 RMS Laconia 1913 RMS Andania 1913 RMS Alaunia 1914 RMS Aquitania 1914 SS Orduña 1916 SS Royal George 1917 RMS Aurania 1920 SS Albania 1921 RMS Berengaria 1921 RMS Scythia 1922 RMS Samaria 1922 RMS Laconia 1922 RMS Andania 1922 RMS Antonia 1922 RMS Lancastria 1921 RMS Ausonia 1922 RMS Franconia 1924 RMS Aurania 1925 SS Letitia 1925 RMS Ascania 1925 RMS Alaunia 1925 RMS Carinthia 1934 RMS Majestic 1934 RMS Olympic 1934 MV Georgic 1934 MV Britannic 1934 SS Laurentic 1936 RMS Queen Mary 1939 RMS Mauretania 1940 RMS Queen Elizabeth 1945 SS Valacia (Empire Camp) 1947 RMS Media 1947 RMS Parthia 1949 RMS Caronia 1954 RMS Saxonia 1955 RMS Ivernia 1956 RMS Carinthia 1957 RMS Sylvania 1969 MS Queen Elizabeth 2 1970 SS Atlantic Causeway 1970 SS Atlantic Conveyor 1971 MV Cunard Adventurer 1972 MV Cunard Ambassador 1975 MS Cunard Countess 1976 MS Cunard Princess 1983 MS Sagafjord 1983 MS Caronia 1986 MS Sea Goddess I 1986 MS Sea Goddess II 1993 MS Cunard Crown Jewel 1993 MS Cunard Crown Dynasty 1994 MS Royal Viking Sun
For MoWT	1940 SS Pasteur 1941 SS Empire Barracuda 1940 MV Empire Audacity 1943 SS Empire Battleaxe 1943 SS Empire Broadsword 1945 MV Empire Ettrick
Years indicate year of entry into Cunard service.

v t e British Naval Forces of the Falklands War
Royal Navy	Active Alacrity Ambuscade Andromeda Antelope Antrim Ardent Argonaut Arrow Avenger Brilliant Bristol Broadsword Cardiff Conqueror Cordella Courageous Coventry Dumbarton Castle Endurance Exeter Farnella Fearless Glamorgan Glasgow Hecla Herald Hermes Hydra Intrepid Invincible Junella Leeds Castle Minerva Northella Onyx Penelope Pict Plymouth Sheffield Spartan Splendid Valiant Yarmouth
Naval Auxiliary (RFA)	Appleleaf Brambleleaf Bayleaf Blue Rover Engadine Fort Austin Fort Grange Plumleaf Pearleaf Olna Olmeda Regent Resource Sir Bedivere Sir Galahad Sir Geraint Sir Lancelot Sir Percivale Sir Tristram Stromness Tidespring Tidepool
Ships Taken Up From Trade	Alvega Anco Charger Astronomer Atlantic Conveyor Atlantic Causeway Avelona Star Balder London Baltic Ferry British Avon British Dart British Enterprise III British Esk British Tamar British Test British Trent British Wye Canberra Contender Bezant Eburna Elk Europic Ferry Fort Toronto G.A.Walker Geesport Iris Irishman Laertes Lycaon Nordic Ferry Norland Queen Elizabeth 2 Rangatira Salvageman Saxonia Scottish Eagle St Edmund St Helena Stena Inspector Stena Seaspread Strathewe Tor Caledonia Uganda Wimpey Seahorse Yorkshireman
Civilian Auxiliary (RMAS)	Goosander Typhoon
- Sunk

50°40′S 54°28′W / 50.667°S 54.467°W / -50.667; -54.467

Categories:

Revision as of 07:47, 27 May 2014 editNick-D (talk \| contribs)Administrators106,130 edits strip out discussion hidden in comments - this belongs on the article talk page← Previous edit		Revision as of 17:07, 27 May 2014 edit undoWee Curry Monster (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers25,546 edits →History: rm material editor acknowledges as sourced from his own website and personal original researchNext edit →
Line 72:		Line 72:

	]		]
	On 25 May 1982 (the same day as the loss of ]) ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was hit by two<ref name = "Times"/> AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by two Argentine Navy ] jet fighters. The mission was led by Corvette Captain ], (call sign 'Tito') flying Super Etendard 0753/3-A-203, and his wingman, Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza, (call sign 'Leo') flying in 0754/3-A-204.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/Exocet.html \|title=Argentine Aircraft in the Falklands \|publisher=Britains-smallwars.com \|date= \|accessdate=16 December 2011}}</ref> ~~The objective of the attack was to disable or destroy a British aircraft carrier which would have compromised British air support for the Task Force and landings.~~		On 25 May 1982 (the same day as the loss of ]) ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was hit by two<ref name = "Times"/> AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by two Argentine Navy ] jet fighters. The mission was led by Corvette Captain ], (call sign 'Tito') flying Super Etendard 0753/3-A-203, and his wingman, Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza, (call sign 'Leo') flying in 0754/3-A-204.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/Exocet.html \|title=Argentine Aircraft in the Falklands \|publisher=Britains-smallwars.com \|date= \|accessdate=16 December 2011}}</ref>

	At the time of the attack, ''Conveyor'' was sailing in line abreast with RFA ''Regent'' and the flagship, HMS ''Hermes'', on course 170 and had two helicopters in the air transferring stores.{{fact\|date=May 2014}} The Argentinians had been able to extend the range of their attacking aircraft through in-flight refueling and approached from an unexpected northwesterly direction catching the British by surprise. Avoiding the outer screen of decoys and warships, the pilots managed to close the core ships of the Task Force.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	Bearings recorded on the day indicate that the pilots correctly identified ''Hermes''{{fact\|date=May 2014}} and passed her coordinates to the Exocets at launch. The Exocets were 'Fire and Forget' weapons programmed to fly directly towards the target at low level on autopilot{{fact\|date=May 2014}}, thus avoiding distraction by British chaff decoys from launch until their final approach{{Dubious\|date=May 2014}}<!-- This is bullshit, Exocet flies at low level to avoid detection -->{{Or\|date=May 2014}}

	''Hermes'' and ''Invincible'' carried out their planned defensive manoeuvre of turning their bows towards the threat to reduce their radar profiles. As documented in the Board of Inquiry report into Conveyor’s loss, Hermes ordered the electronically blind Conveyor to turn immediately onto course 040, which would have left her exactly side on to the approaching missiles maximizing her radar profile.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	In the final minute of flight both Exocets turned on their radars to update the location of the target. They looked for the largest ship in the proximity of the original coordinates, which by now (through the manoeuvres) had become Conveyor and they turned towards her.{{fact\|date=May 2014}}

	Both Exocets struck ''Atlantic Conveyor'' on the port quarter of the ship. There are conflicting accounts on whether the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship's hull,<ref>{{cite book		Both Exocets struck ''Atlantic Conveyor'' on the port quarter of the ship. There are conflicting accounts on whether the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship's hull,<ref>{{cite book

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