SEPTEMBER 1982
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MONTHS after the end of the Falklands conflict, ships in the South Atlantic are fighting another foe ... the weather. During the southern winter they have been faced with hurricane force winds, combined sea and swell of SOft., and windchill of minus 15 Centigrade. Conditions in early August were described in the usually understated language of the experts at the Fleet Weather Centre, Northwood, as "extremely rough." At the height of the Falklands operation conditions were generally surprisingly favourable, with none of the intense depres-
which would not be able to enjoy the luxury of sheltering close to the islands. Another unpleasant factor was the temperature - down to minus 3 Ccntigr'ade. When coupled with 55 knots of wind the windchill factor comes into play, reducing the effective temperature to about minus 15. Conditions cannot have rn-
proved the chances of avoiding cracking of upper decks of some ships, which was already being experienced before the onset of the really bad weather. By August 17 the winds had moderated. But conditions have a habit of changing rapidly in that part of the world and further deterioration was expected.
Wreck dive role for Seaspread
AFTER four hard-working months in the South Atlantic during which she repaired many battle-damaged warships, msv Stena Seaspread arrived in Portsmouth on August 18 - and prepared to turn round and head back again. From September 1 she is being rechartered and re-fitted as a diving support vessel and will return to the South Atlantic where she will be used on a saturation diving task in connection with wrecks around the Falkland Islands. Like her sister ship Stena Inspector - still in the Falklands area - the Seaspread is usually used as a diving support vessel in the North Sea and she will retain a number of civilian crew members in addition to the Royal Navy party and divers embarked. In July, when the Seaspread's prolonged stay in the South Atlantic was the subject of Press interest, the Ministry of Defence said it was
f
HMS Junella's deadly cargo
- see back page.
considering her retention to support further diving operations to recover classified equipment and documents from RN warships sunk during the operation and to recover and dispose of live ammunition from these vessels. Of the ships sunk during the conflict, HM ships Ardent and Antelope lie in the relatively sheltered waters of the Falkland Sound and San Carlos Water, HMS Coventry rests north of Pebble Island, and HMS Sheffield, RFA Sir Galahad and Atlantic Conveyor lie out to sea. Wrecks HM ships which contain bodies of crew members are regarded by the Ministry of Defence as war graves, although there is no formal designation procedure. The Ministry has stated that it would not disturb these wrecks except where they were likely to cause a hazard to navigation, where they may contain explosives, or "where there may be a risk of illegal or unauthorised access." 0 How Se..pvsad went to war - peg. 12