Falklands War: The Silent Service

What was a submarine doing in a war to retake The Falkland Islands? “...the ability to land and recover Special Forces…SAS and SBS, was key.” We hear the fascinating and poignant story of HMS Onyx, the only diesel-electric boat that Served during the war. Submariner, Steve Hussey, was there and shares his unique insight, from beneath the waves, “None of this is done in daylight…surveillance takes place beforehand…if all the conditions are right…getting…as close as you can get these guys and surface them, then it's very quick…open up the submarine and get these guys off…then dive again.” So, discreet and covert operations. How were they recovered? “…getting in contact is the first positive thing because then you know they're actually there…”  In stark contrast, towards the end of the war, “…we had the unenviable task of having to sink The Sir Galahad…she had been hit by Argentinian aircraft bombs…and was extremely damaged…with quite a lot of loss of life…and the decision…was to…leave it in The Falklands as a War Grave... Normally, there's…noise in the control room as you're setting-up for an attack…this was nothing like that. This was extremely sombre, very quiet as the orders were given…the CO was on the periscope, so he was the only person who could actually witness it…When the torpedoes were fired, there was just complete silence…” Don’t forget to sign-up to our newsletter and we’ll send you all the latest updates about our podcasts, talks & workshops, direct to your inbox.Supported by SAMA (82) in collaboration with TheVeteran.UKIf you’re a member of the Armed Forces community and need support with your mental health, Op Courage can help. Or you could phone the Combat Stress Helpline on: 0800 138 1619Company of Makers exists to support veterans and their families who are struggling on civvy street no matter how long ago they left the armed forces.We do this by running a programme of Podcasts | Talks | Workshops.Company of Makers are trying to reach, and better understand, all members of the armed forces community who are also gamers. We’re especially interested in those that have served in conflicts over the last 30 years.To find out more contact us.