Themes

Article highlights

• HMS Fearless in the Falklands

• Britain's amphibious capabilities

• Fearless in the Task Group

• Heading South

• Ascension Island - preparation for war

• To the TEZ

• Preparing to land

• Further duties

• The return home

Britain's amphibious capabilites

At the outbreak of the Falklands War the outlook from amphibious warfare in Britain was bleak. The United States coordinated all amphibious operations, and as part of NATO and the United Nations.

The government had predicted that Britain was unlikely to ever have to mount such a war without US backing and was refusing to replace the amphibious ships.

In 1980 HMS Fearless went in for a refit and its old equipment was modernised with new specialist radio and satellite terminals fitted and its machinery renovated.

The LPDs were in fact two of only a few ships that were to have satellite communications in the Falklands, which became an important point when communicating with Task Force Planners in London from the South Atlantic.

The next year however, the Government announced in the 1981 Defence Review that both LPDs were to be decommissioned. HMS Intrepid would be the first to go in 1982 with Fearless getting paid off in 1984.

The Royal Navy were to lose their amphibious capabilities. This also posed a serious threat to the survival of the Royal Marines who used these ships to mount their operations and was key to their rapid reaction capabilities.

A turn around of the fate of both the LPDs came about in 1981 however, after Secretary of State for Defence John Nott witnessed Fearless in action during training in Plymouth. Many argue that this may have influenced his decision to save the LPDs from scrapping.