1970 In November and December 1970
Sir Galahad was involved in
Operation Burlap giving humanitarian assistance to
East Pakistan after a
cyclone caused extensive damage and flooding.
Falklands War and loss Sir Galahad was a part of the British task force during the
Falklands War, sailing from
HMNB Devonport on 6 April 1982, with 350
Royal Marines. The vessel entered
San Carlos Water, East Falkland, on 21 May. Three days later, on 24 May,
Sir Galahad was attacked by a formation of strike aircraft –
McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks and
IAI Daggers – of the
Argentine Air Force's IV
Brigada Aérea. A Skyhawk dropped a British-pattern bomb that lodged inside the ship, but did not detonate. The ship was also hit by cannon fire from the Daggers. The bomb, which was found to be live, was removed from the ship by members of the navy's Fleet Clearance Diving Team 3 (FCDT3). Having used a crane to remove the bomb from its position in the battery charging room, FCDT3 took the bomb in a Gemini dinghy before disposing of the bomb in waters away from all shipping. On 8 June, while preparing to unload soldiers from the
Welsh Guards, in Port Pleasant, Fitzroy, together with ,
Sir Galahad was attacked by three Skyhawks from the Argentine
V Brigada Aérea, each carrying three US-pattern
Mark 82 bombs, with retarding tails. At approximately 14:00 local time,
Sir Galahad was hit by two or three bombs, which exploded and started fires. The explosions and subsequent fire caused the deaths of 48 crew and soldiers. Following the air attack, the fires quickly began to burn out of control. The main evacuation of the injured and wounded was organised and carried out by the ship's Royal Marine detachment. The Marines organised the launch of life rafts from the bow of the ship, whilst at the same time marshaling helicopters for personnel to be winched clear. Immediate first aid was given to those most seriously wounded and a triage system set up. BBC television cameras recorded images of Royal Navy helicopters hovering in thick smoke to winch survivors from the burning landing ships. Other units affected included 3 Troop—of 20 Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment—which was temporarily attached to
9 Independent Parachute Squadron and was being transported on
Sir Galahad to provide engineering support following the landings. Engineers feature prominently in contemporary footage showing two lifeboats landing survivors. Also on board were 16 Field Ambulance, who assisted with the treatment and evacuation of the many casualties.
Chiu Yiu-Nam, a seaman on
Sir Galahad, was later awarded the
George Medal for rescuing ten men trapped by a fire in the bowels of the ship. The captain, Philip Roberts, was reportedly the last to leave
Sir Galahad, and was subsequently awarded the
Distinguished Service Order for his leadership and courage. Royal Marine Sergeant Brian Dolivera was
mentioned in dispatches, related to his work on the evacuation.
After the Falklands War , Pangbourne, Berks On 21 June, the hulk was towed out to sea by the
tugboat and sunk by using torpedoes; it is now an official
war grave, designated as a protected place under the
Protection of Military Remains Act. Guardsman
Simon Weston was among the survivors of the attack on
Sir Galahad. He suffered 46% burns and his story has been widely reported in television and newspaper coverage. Ten years after
Sir Galahad was sunk, Weston was awarded the
OBE. Other survivors included the
intelligence consultant Crispin Black. A Tyne-class lifeboat
RFA Sir Galahad (47-010) entered service with the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1986, named in honor of (L3005). A
replacement ship entered service in 1988, carrying the same name and
pennant number. == Notes ==