Abandon Ship : The Real Story of the Sinkings in the Falklands War

**This fascinating title offers a new study of the loss of six British ships during the Falklands War of 1982. Based on new evidence released following freedom of information requests, it will tell the full story of these dramatic events for the first time.** The Falklands War was a pivotal event in 20th century British history, and is within living memory of many. The war came as a surprise to most and was to test the British forces – who were mainly trained for a war with the USSR – to their limits, in very different circumstances to those envisaged during the Cold War era. The emphatic British victory was not without costs or mistakes, but the courageous exploits of the men and ships of the Royal Navy were instrumental in facilitating the amphibious landings which recaptured the islands from the Argentine invaders. The drama of events and the heroism of those involved makes for compelling reading. Taking advantage of the latest available British and Argentinian sources, including documents recently released following freedom of information requests by the author himself, Dr Paul Brown describes the dramatic events leading up to the loss of six British ships; HMS __Antelope, Ardent, Coventry__ and __Sheffield,__ RFA __Sir Galahad__ and SS __Atlantic Conveyor__, as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser ARA __General Belgrano__ by HMS __Conqueror__. This fascinating title offers a new study of the loss of six British ships during the Falklands War of 1982. Based on new evidence released following freedom of information requests, it will tell the full story of these dramatic events for the first time. The Falklands War was a pivotal event in 20th century British history, and is within living memory of many. The war came as a surprise to most and was to test the British forces – who were mainly trained for a war with the USSR – to their limits, in very different circumstances to those envisaged during the Cold War era. The emphatic British victory was not without costs or mistakes, but the courageous exploits of the men and ships of the Royal Navy were instrumental in facilitating the amphibious landings which recaptured the islands from the Argentine invaders. The drama of events and the heroism of those involved makes for compelling reading. Taking advantage of the latest available British and Argentinian sources, including documents recently released following freedom of information requests by the author himself, Dr Paul Brown describes the dramatic events leading up to the loss of six British ships; HMS Antelope, Ardent, Coventry and Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and SS Atlantic Conveyor , as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser ARA General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror . This fascinating title offers a new study of the loss of six British ships during the Falklands War of 1982. Based on new evidence released following freedom of interest requests, it will tell the full story of these dramatic events for the first time. The Falklands War was a pivotal event in 20th century British history, and is within living memory of many. The war came as a surprise to most and was to test the British forces who were mainly trained for a war with the USSR to their limits, in very different circumstances to those envisaged during the Cold War era. The emphatic British victory was not without costs or mistakes, but the courageous exploits of the men and ships of the Royal Navy were instrumental in facilitating the amphibious landings which recaptured the islands from the Argentinian invaders. The drama of events and the heroism of those involved makes for compelling reading. Taking advantage of the latest available British and Argentinian sources, including documents recently released following Freedom of Information requests by the author himself, Dr Paul Brown describes the dramatic events leading up to the loss of six British ships; HMS' Antelope, Ardent, Coventry and Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and SS Atlantic Conveyor , as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror . "The Falklands War was a pivotal event in 20th century British history, and is within living memory of many. The war came as a surprise to most and was to test the British forces - who were mainly trained for a war with the USSR - to their limits, in very different circumstances to those envisaged during the Cold War era. The emphatic British victory was not without costs or mistakes, but the courageous exploits of the men and ships of the Royal Navy were instrumental in facilitating the amphibious landings which recaptured the islands from the Argentine invaders. The drama of events and the heroism of those involved makes for compelling reading. Taking advantage of the latest available British and Argentinian sources, including documents recently released following freedom of information requests by the author himself, Dr Paul Brown describes the dramatic events leading up to the loss of six British ships; HMS Antelope, Ardent, Coventry and Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and SS Atlantic Conveyor, as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser ARA General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror." --Amazon.com AWARDED THE ANDERSON MEDAL 2021This fascinating title offers a new study of the loss of six British ships and an Argentinian cruiser during the Falklands War of 1982.When Argentinian forces invaded the Falklands in April 1982, the British government responded by despatching a task force to the Atlantic to wrest back control of the islands. The resulting war saw modern weapon systems tested in combat for the first time, to tragic effect. In the aftermath, official documents were released, but many were heavily censored, and others withheld altogether, so that a full understanding of those events could not be gained.Drawing from recently declassified and previously unpublished reports from the official inquiry, Dr Paul Brown details the true story behind the dramatic events that led to the loss of six British ships – HMS Antelope, Ardent, Coventry and Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and SS Atlantic Conveyor – as well as the controversial sinking of the Argentinian cruiser ARA General Belgrano by HMS Conqueror. Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Maps List of Illustrations Preface Chapter 1: Going to War Chapter 2: The Sinking of ARA General Belgrano Chapter 3: The Loss of HMS Sheffield Chapter 4: The Loss of HMS Ardent Chapter 5: The Loss of HMS Antelope Chapter 6: The Sinking of HMS Coventry Chapter 7: The Loss of SS Atlantic Conveyor Chapter 8: The Loss of RFA Sir Galahad Chapter 9: Lessons from the Conflict Addendum: After the Conflict Appendix: Honours and Awards Select Bibliography References Index Plates