1982 British Army Gazelle friendly fire incident
Loss of Gazelle XX377 | |||||||
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Part of the Falklands War | |||||||
A British Army Gazelle helicopter, circa 1983 | |||||||
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On 6 June 1982, during the
On the night of 5 June, HMS Cardiff was stationed to the east of the islands to provide gunfire support to the land forces and intercept enemy aircraft. At around 02:00 a radar contact was detected; a British
No formal inquiry was held until four years later. Defending their claim that the helicopter had been lost in action, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD) stated that they had not wanted to "cause further anguish to relatives" while they were still trying to ascertain how the Gazelle had been shot down. The board of inquiry finally confirmed that the soldiers fell due to friendly fire. It recommended that "neither negligence nor blame should be attributed to any individual",[2] but identified several factors. A lack of communication between the army and the navy meant that 5th Infantry Brigade had not notified anyone of the helicopter's flight. The navy had not informed the land forces that Cardiff had changed position to set up an ambush for Argentine aircraft travelling over the area. The helicopter's identification friend or foe (IFF) transmitter was turned off, because it caused interference with the army's Rapier anti-aircraft missile system. The board of inquiry's findings prompted criticism of the MoD's initial response to the incident.
Background
On 2 April 1982, the
In early May, British troops landed at San Carlos on the western side of East Falkland, and from there moved overland towards the islands' capital of Stanley. To support the advance, logistical supplies were ferried to the troops by helicopter from San Carlos.[2] The Argentine forces occupying Stanley were supplied throughout the war by C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Argentine mainland. These "milk-runs", as the British termed them, were a source of concern to the Royal Navy, and various attempts were made to intercept them.[5][6]
Incident
On the night of 5 June, the British Type 42 destroyer HMS Cardiff took up station on the "Bluff Cove Gunline" to the east of the islands. Tasked with a dual mission, Cardiff was to provide fire support to the Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade, and to interdict any Argentine aircraft attempting to fly into Stanley. The destroyer had performed a similar role four nights previously, when she unsuccessfully attempted to shoot down a re-supply aircraft as it landed, and again as it took off.[7][8]
Meanwhile, pilots
At 02:00 local time, Cardiff's
The helicopter's loss caused the British to suspect that Argentine forces were still operating in the area, so patrols were mounted by Gurkha soldiers.[9] When the Gurkhas came across the personnel manning the Pleasant Peak station there was potential for another friendly fire incident to occur.[16] At first light a proper search was carried out, and the Gazelle's wreckage was found along with the dead aircrew and passengers; 5th Infantry Brigade's first casualties of the war.[9][17] Immediately there were suspicions that Cardiff had been responsible for the shootdown, and later that evening Rear Admiral "Sandy" Woodward declared a "Weapons Tight" order, forbidding the engagement of any aircraft not positively identified as hostile, for all contacts detected flying over East Falkland at less than 200 kn (370 km/h) and under 610 m (2,000 ft).[2][7]
Investigations
The crew's bodies were initially examined by senior medical officer, Surgeon-Captain Richard "Rick" Jolly of the Royal Navy.[18] The helicopter's wreckage was inspected on-site, but the British were unable to determine if it had been destroyed by Cardiff's missiles or by Argentine fire. This uncertainty prompted the decision not to hold a board of inquiry, and XX377 was declared "lost in action". It was surmised that, if the relatives of the deceased were told that the Gazelle might have been lost to friendly fire, it would add to their grief.[9] After the war, missile fragments found in the wreckage were taken to the British government's aviation research facility at RAE Farnborough for analysis. The scientific tests concluded that the fragments were not from a British Sea Dart missile, despite a Sea Dart casing later being found "several hundred yards" away from the wreckage.[9]
In December 1982 an inquest was held by a
In October 1986, partly due to pressure from Cockton's mother and the anti-war politician
The board of inquiry found that standard operating procedure dictated that the commanders of 5th Infantry Brigade were not required to declare the helicopter's mission to any other authority, as the flight was to occur in brigade airspace on a brigade task.[2][7] Gazelle XX377 was equipped with an IFF transmitter, but this was turned off. In the opinion of the board, "had IFF been in use there is little doubt that Cardiff would not have engaged the aircraft that night."[2] At the time, less than half of the land force's helicopters were fitted with IFF transmitters, and those that were had been ordered not to use them because they inhibited the tracking systems of the British ground-based Rapier anti-aircraft missile batteries.[2][9] A misconception about the Royal Navy's ability to engage air targets over land led to the navy not being informed that the army's helicopters were not using IFF. The board of inquiry concluded that it was this failure to communicate, together with the navy's assumption that all helicopters would be operating IFF, which "had a cumulative effect [and] was a major cause of [the] accident."[2] However, the board recommended that "neither negligence nor blame should be attributed to any individual".[2]
Effects
Given that the role of helicopters in land force operations was increasing, as was the integration of
A memorial cross was installed on Pleasant Peak, and the number "205" was painted at the crash site by the soldiers of 205 Signal Squadron.[27] The number is approximately 40 m (130 ft) wide and can be seen from the air at (51°47′01″S 58°28′04″W / 51.78361°S 58.46778°W).
See also
References
- ^ a b National Archives. ADM 53/188995 (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Navy Command HQ. "Board of inquiry into the loss of AAC Gazelle XX377" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ a b c "Key facts: The Falklands War, Introduction". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
- ^ "Key facts: The Falklands War, Task Force". BBC News. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ISBN 0-304-35542-9.
- ISBN 0-393-30198-2.
- ^ a b c d "L/Cpl. S. J. Cockton". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 2 February 1987. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ a b "Report of Proceedings". hmscardiff.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Falkland Islands". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 25 June 1986. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ "Griffen, Christopher Anthony – Roll of honour – Armed forces memorial". forcesmemorial.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "Cockton, Simon Jeremy Roll of honour". Armed forces memorial. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "Forge, Michael Lancaster – Roll of honour – Armed forces memorial". forcesmemorial.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "Baker, John Ivan – Roll of honour – Armed forces memorial". forcesmemorial.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-4950-2. Archivedfrom the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
- ^ Bolia, Robert S. "The Falklands War: The Bluff Cove Disaster" (PDF). Military Review (November–December 2004): 67. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-415-41911-6.
- ISBN 978-0-415-41911-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9514305-4-5. Archived from the originalon 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
...and how later on it would take the determination of a brave mother – and the committed support of a decent and honest Labour Minister – to bring truth to the surface.
- ^ Navy Command HQ. "Convening Authority Order" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
- ^ "Lance Corporal Simon Cockton". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 9 June 1986. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ "Lance Corporal Simon Cockton". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 12 June 1986. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ "Lance-Corporal Simon Cockton". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 17 June 1986. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ^ "The Royal Navy". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 3 March 1988. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-7538-2186-2.
- ^ Navy Command HQ. "Response to Loss of Gazelle, Falklands on 6 Jun 1982" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "PJHQ – History". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
- ^ "UK troops around the world honour fallen comrades". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
External links
- Media related to Gazelle XX377 at Wikimedia Commons