''Atlantic Causeway'' was a

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 ...

, operated 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, Ber ...

, and one of the merchant vessels requisitioned by the British government to support British forces in the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territori ...

in 1982.

Pre-war

''Atlantic Causeway'' and her sister, ''

Atlantic Conveyor ''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 ...

'' were built by

Swan Hunter Swan Hunter, formerly known as Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, is a shipbuilding design, engineering, and management company, based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. At its apex, the company represented the combined forces of three pow ...

as part of Cunard's contribution to

Atlantic Container Line Atlantic Container Line is an American, previously Swedish, shipping company owned by the Italian Grimaldi Group. The company operates large roll-on/roll-off (RORO) container ships between Europe and North America. History ACL was formed in St ...

, a European shipping consortium. ''Atlantic Causeway'' was completed in 1969. With the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982, ''Atlantic Conveyor'' was requisitioned on 14 April, and ''Atlantic Causeway'' on 4 May to serve as transport and support ships for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

taskforce being sent 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 Dubou ...

Falklands War

''Atlantic Causeway'' put into HMNB Devonport and was taken in hand on 6 May. She was converted to be able to carry and operate helicopters.Access to Archives (A2A) catalogue description

The National Archives National archives are central archive, archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by government ...

, for records held by Tyne and Wear Archives Service, transferred from

. Retrieved 2008-07-17. A

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

was fitted to her upper deck, and an improved system for delivering

aviation fuel Aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. They have more stringent requirements than fuels used for ground use, such as heating and road transport, and contain additives to enhance ...

. She sailed from Devonport 07.30 on 12 May carrying eight Sea King HAS.2As of

825 Naval Air Squadron 825 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Naval Air Squadron which was re-commissioned on 10 October 2014 and currently flies the AgustaWestland Wildcat HMA2. It was a carrier-based squadron that was formed on 8 October 1934 from t ...

and twenty Wessex HU.5s of

847 Naval Air Squadron 847 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It operates AgustaWestland Wildcat AH.1 helicopters and provides armed reconnaissance and light transport support to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. Along with 845 and 846 n ...

. She sailed to the Exclusion Zone via

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...

, arriving on 27 May, two days after her sister ''Atlantic Conveyor'' had been hit and burnt out by

Exocet The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Etymology The missile's name was given by M. Guillot, then the technical directo ...

missiles. She then disembarked her aircraft and stores in

San Carlos Water San Carlos Water is a bay/fjord on the west coast of East Falkland, facing onto the Falkland Sound. Name Despite its Spanish-sounding name, there is a wide discrepancy with the Spanish usage, for in Spanish "Estrecho de San Carlos" refers to ...

from 28 May, remaining on station with the rest of the British fleet. She took on casualties 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 b ...

ships RFA ''Sir Galahad'' and ''Sir Tristram'' after they were hit by Argentinian bombs and abandoned on 8 and 9 June. Around 170 of those transferred were later returned to Britain aboard the

tankers Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanke ...

''British Trent'' and ''British Test''. ''Atlantic Causeway'' entered Port William on 17 June to unload further supplies, before leaving to return to Britain on 13 July. She had received around 4,000 helicopter landings and refuelled about 500 aircraft.

Postwar

''Atlantic Causeway'' was laid up in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, finally being broken up in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

in 1986. Detailed plans of both ''Atlantic Causeway'' and ''Atlantic Conveyor'' are held by

.Hierarchical catalogue view for MT 146

, overview of plans and documents from the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

, Marine Division. Retrieved 2008-07-17

Notes

References

BATTLE ATLAS of the FALKLANDS WAR 1982 - by Land, Sea and Air
Gordon Smith. Retrieved 2008-07-17.

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) an ...

website, 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-17
Ships of the Falklands War
Chris Valentine. Retrieved 2008-07-17 {{DEFAULTSORT:Atlantic Causeway, SS Container ships Merchant ships of the United Kingdom Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom 1969 ships Ships built by Swan Hunter Ships built on the River Tyne