Reverend
VIP Member
True, but Atlantic Conveyor's main problem was the old adage, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.' Instead of having multiple vessels to transport, they used just one, which the Treasury budget had dictated.There was nowhere else to put the equipment.
I believe the ship was commissioned after the Task Force had sailed when the decision was made to bolster the land forces.
The ship was hit because it didn't have chaff launchers, so when the nearby ships fired chaff, thus Altantic Conveyor was the only signature for the Exocet radar to lock onto.
Not sure that makes it a Darwin moment, the bombing of Sir Galahad would make a better case. It was more Sods Law, as the Exocet was one of the last available to the Argentines - which brings up the interesting story of the secret service scouring world to buy up all available Exocet missiles.
Though in terms of the the point about Prince Andrew it does rather reinforce it as helicopters were used to transport personal and equipment to and from the Atlantic Conveyor and in the rescue.