''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
Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...
.
History
''Atlantic Conveyor'' was a 14,950 ton
roll-on, roll-off container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...
owned by
Cunard
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
. She was built along with six other container ships, each named with the prefix ''Atlantic'', and each sailing under different national flags by different companies for the
Atlantic Container Line consortium.
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
A STUFT (acronym for ship taken up from trade) is a UK civilian ship requisitioned for government use.
The Falklands War of 1982 saw a diversity of ships taken up from trade, including tankers with potable water (see British logistics in the ...
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
The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
from
Argentine occupation. Sailing for
Ascension Island on 25 April 1982, ''Atlantic Conveyor'' carried a cargo of six
Wessex
la, Regnum Occidentalium Saxonum
, conventional_long_name = Kingdom of the West Saxons
, common_name = Wessex
, image_map = Southern British Isles 9th century.svg
, map_caption = S ...
helicopters from
848 Naval Air Squadron
848 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operated the Westland Sea King HC.4 helicopter and previously provided advanced flying training to pilots for the other squadrons in the Commando Helicopter Force. The s ...
and five
RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Chinook HC.1s from
No. 18 Squadron RAF
No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron.
History
First World War
The squadron was formed on 11 May 1915 at Nort ...
. At Ascension, she picked up eight
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
Sea Harriers (
809 Squadron) and six RAF
Harrier GR.3
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier is a British military aircraft. It was the first of the Harrier series of aircraft and was developed in the 1960s as the first operational ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft with vertical/short takeoff and ...
jump jets.
One Chinook of B flight
No. 18 Squadron RAF
No. 18 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Boeing Chinook from RAF Odiham. Owing to its heritage as a bomber squadron, it is also known as No. 18 (B) Squadron.
History
First World War
The squadron was formed on 11 May 1915 at Nort ...
left ''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''. With the additional aircraft on ''Hermes'' a
Lynx HAS.2 helicopter was flown and parked on ''Atlantic Conveyor'' on 20 May 1982.
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
Captain Roberto Curilovic is a former Argentinian Navy pilot. On 25 May 1982 in the Falklands War, he sank the transport ship ''Atlantic Conveyor'' with an Exocet AM.39 anti-ship missile.
Career
He finished his naval training at the Escuela N ...
(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 from
2da Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque.
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.
Witness
Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (Andrew Albert Christian Edward; born 19 February 1960) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger brother of King Charles III and the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince ...
reported that debris caused "splashes in the water about a quarter of a mile away". He said that the incident "was an experience I shall never forget ... horrific".
All the survivors were taken to HMS ''Hermes''.
Due to the presence of both fuel and ammunition that were stored below decks, 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. Six
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main chang ...
es, three
Boeing Chinooks, and a
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose twin-engined military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led t ...
were destroyed by fire; only one Chinook (ZA718 '
Bravo November') and one Westland Wessex, were saved. The loss of these helicopters meant that British troops had to
march on foot across the Falklands to recapture
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
.
Twelve men died in ''Atlantic Conveyor'',
including the ship's master, Captain
Ian Harry North, who was posthumously awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...
(DSC).
The ship was the first British merchant vessel lost at sea to enemy fire since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
The ship's replacement was built on
Tyneside
Tyneside is a built-up area across the banks of the River Tyne in northern England. Residents of the area are commonly referred to as Geordies. The whole area is surrounded by the North East Green Belt.
The population of Tyneside as publishe ...
.
Crew
![Acmemorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/SS_Atlantic_Conveyor_Memorial%2CTrinity_Gardens%2C_Tower_Hill%2C_London.JPG)
The vessel carried a Merchant Navy crew of 33. This included 12 officers (master, chief officer, second officer, third officer, radio officer, chief engineer, second engineer, two third engineers, fourth engineer, electrician and purser), 10 petty officers (bosun, four mechanics, two first cooks, second cook and baker, second cook and second steward) and 11 ratings (five seamen, three greasers and three assistant stewards). Of the 12 men killed in the sinking of ''Atlantic Conveyor'' six were from the
Merchant Navy, three from the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
and three sailors from the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
.
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 Swan Hunter, Wallsend is named "The North Bar" after Captain Ian North.
Further reading
* Charles Drought – ''N. P. 1840 The Loss of the Atlantic Conveyor'' (2003)
Board of Inquiry into the Loss of SS Atlantic Conveyor
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Conveyor, SS
Container ships
Merchant ships of the United Kingdom
Shipwrecks of the Falklands War
Maritime incidents in 1982
Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom
Protected Wrecks of the United Kingdom
1969 ships
Ships built by Swan Hunter
Ships built on the River Tyne
Ships sunk by Argentine aircraft
Merchant ships sunk by aircraft