SS Atlantic Causeway
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Atlantic Causeway |
| Operator | Cunard Line |
| Builder | Swan Hunter, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom |
| Launched | 2 April 1969 |
| Completed | 1969 |
| Identification | IMO number: 6913106 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1986 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Container ship |
| Tonnage | 14,946 tons |
| Speed | 22 knots |
Atlantic Causeway was a container ship, operated by Cunard, and one of the merchant vessels requisitioned by the British government to support British forces in the Falklands War in 1982.
Pre-war
Atlantic Causeway and her sister, Atlantic Conveyor were built by Swan Hunter as part of Cunard's contribution to Atlantic Container Line, a European shipping consortium. Atlantic Causeway was completed in 1969. With the outbreak of the Falklands War in 1982, Atlantic Conveyor was requisitioned on 14 April, and Atlantic Causeway on 4 May to serve as transport and support ships for the Royal Navy taskforce being sent to retake the Falkland Islands.
Falklands War
Atlantic Causeway put into
Sir Tristram after they were hit by Argentinian bombs and abandoned on 8 and 9 June. Around 170 of those transferred were later returned to Britain aboard the tankers British Trent and British Test. Atlantic Causeway entered Port William on 17 June to unload further supplies, before leaving to return to Britain on 13 July.[5] She had received around 4,000 helicopter landings and refuelled about 500 aircraft.[6]
Postwar
Atlantic Causeway was laid up in
The National Archives.[7]
Notes
- ^ The National Archives, for records held by Tyne and Wear Archives Service, transferred from Swan Hunter. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- ^ Week Seven of the Falklands War
- ^ British Task Force Movements, 24-30 May 1982
- ^ Falkland Area Operations, 31 May-6 June 1982
- ^ MAIN BRITISH TASK FORCE RETURNS HOME
- ^ Data on the Atlantic Causeway Archived 13 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, South Atlantic Medal Association website. Retrieved 2008-07-17
- The National Archives, overview of plans and documents from the Ministry of Transport, Marine Division. Retrieved 2008-07-17
References
- BATTLE ATLAS of the FALKLANDS WAR 1982 - by Land, Sea and Air, Gordon Smith. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
- Falkland Islands order of battle, RAFwebsite, 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-17
- Ships of the Falklands War, Chris Valentine. Retrieved 2008-07-17
