Rear Admiral John 'Sandy' Woodward

John 'Sandy' Woodward was a relatively junior Rear Admiral but he had vitally important experience in Amphibious operations. He was therefore felt to be the best placed Naval Officer to take operational command of the Task Force. Within this job he also had command of the Carrier Battle Group. He was conscious of the importance of protecting the Carriers and what a disaster it would have been for the entire enterprise if one or both Carriers was lost to Argentine air or missile attack. The picture above shows him discussing operational procedures with General Jeremy Moore on HMS Hermes. The fact that General Moore is wearing a survival suit is because he had just been transferred from HMS Fearless through cross decking. He published his memoirs as: One Hundred Days: Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander