HMS 'Endurance', 'Plymouth' and 'Antrim' at Grytviken, South Georgia

This picture by Joe Beetham shows three crucial ships of the Falklands War. HMS Endurance had provided the British presence in the South Atlantic at the time of the invasion before the rest of the fleet could come and join it. HMS Antrim was the flagship of Operation Paraquet which coordinated the recovery of South Georgia in April 1982. Her helicopter, the Westland Wessex was responsible for the rescue of 16 SAS men from the Fortuna Glacier. The aircraft then played a key role in the detection and disabling of the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe. Captain Largos, commander of the Argentine forces on South Georgia, signed the surrender document for the Argentine Forces there in her wardroom. HMS Plymouth landed Royal Marines from her Westland Wasp helicopters and bombarded Argentine troop positions on the island. Later her Wasp helicopter took part in the attack on the Santa Fe, which was badly damaged and later captured by Royal Marines.

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