Australian Naval Institute

By Jeremy Larken DSO 

17 September 2024

Source: https://navalinstitute.com.au/the-falklands-campaign-personal-reflections/

Introduction

The canvas for this paper is the Falklands Campaign in 1982, events encompassing some 100 days. My post was Captain of the 12,000 tonne assault ship HMS Fearless.  

In addition to command of the ship, I was Chief of Staff to the Commodore Amphibious Warfare (COMAW), the maritime commander for the military landings at San Carlos – the pivotal step in the re-possession of the Falkland Islands.

As such, I was involved intimately with the planning of the amphibious tasks and the naval inshore operations around the islands, and the Commodore assigned me extensive elements of delegated tactical command authority within the amphibious force.

Drawing upon the sum of my previous command experience, I could scarcely have been better prepared for the challenges; nor could I have gone to this peculiar war either with better people or in a better ship.  

Editor’s note: As the article is quite long it can be accessed via the url above.