Events in Falklands War - 8th June 1982

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8th June 1982: Tuesday 8th June events are summarised here by the BBC News which provides a decent summary of the days events but for more detail please read on. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982 twitter.com/FAB87F/status/1665849005559934976?s=20

8th June 1982: #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 08.26 Argentine B707 picks up a contact at 46°04'S/49°10'W at 19 knots, heading 195° and reports back. Argentine Coast Guard receives a message from the ship, a neutral VLCC oil tanker, giving heading, bearing & cargo, and replies, "All good". #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Coming in for a closer look, the 707 descends from 20,000 ft and identifies the VLCC Hercules crude oil tanker at 08.45. The crew, somewhat startled, repeat their message with course, bearing & cargo. Message comes back again: "All good". #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 08.50 orders are sent to prepare the C-130 Hercules bomber for a mission. Argentine radio operators try to hail the ship again (or claim to) with no answer. The VLCC Hercules is known to the Coast Guard but seemingly not to the Air Force... #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 09.55 the Argentine Hercules bomber makes an attack run, dropping six 500lb bombs onto the tanker, one of which lodges in the hold. The Italian crew begin screaming down the radio that they are neutral and unarmed... #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 10.10 it makes another pass, dropping six more bombs onto the stricken VLCC Hercules, followed shortly after by Canberra bombers at 13.30 which, due to low fuel, can only make one swift pass before heading back, missing the ship... #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 13.30 the shift manager at Puerto Belgrano radio through the error, confirming a neutral Liberian flagged oil tanker on its way from St Croix to Alaska via Cape Horn. The Hercules limps towards Rio with the junta swiftly denying involvement... #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: The Falklands War - From the War Diaries of Admiral Woodward Tuesday 8th June 1982 is remembered by the 'man in the street' for the 'Bluff Cove Disaster' but the air attacks on the LSLs was just one of several incidents that day. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: The Harrier CAP had been boosted by the San Carlos Airstrip but at 10.50am a GR3 suffered a loss of power and crashed on the aluminium planking of the airstrip. Although the damage to the runway was slight it was out of action for most of the day. #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: The Harrier was piloted by Wg Cdr Pete Squire. His aircraft (XZ989) suffered partial engine failure due to sucking in a pin from the runway matting at the FOB and made a heavy landing, the undercarriage is broken off and canopy broken. Write off. #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: HMS Plymouth had been tasked with bombardment of Mount Rosalie on West Falkland, a suspected Argentine observation point and was just about to commence firing when a lookout spotted five aircraft two miles away - Skyhawks and Daggers. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: They opened fire with cannon and dropped bombs with Plymouth returning fire with Seacat, Oerlikon cannon and machine guns. Those onboard and witnesses ashore believed that one Dagger was brought down by a Seacat missile. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Another aircraft received hits from the Oerlikon cannon and crashed into the sea. Four bomb struck Plymouth but did not explode. One however stuck a helicopter depth charge stowed on the starboard side of the ship. This exploded causing a fire. #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Another bomb struck the funnel and punched straight through causing another fire. The Plymouth was still afloat and underway, and returned to San Carlos to fight the fire at anchor. These were extinguished by 1.40pm. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: With Sir Galahad and the Welsh Guards Overnight the Sir Galahad had brought 350 Welsh Guards, and all their associated equipment, from San Carlos, not into Bluff Cove, but into the inlet called Port Pleasant, which leads up to Fitzroy. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: By dawn it was anchored a quarter of a mile offshore, alongside Sir Tristham, which was delivering kit to 5 brigade HQ on the shore there. Bluff cove to Fitzroy is four miles by sea. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: However, by land, because the Argentines had blown a bridge, the walk would have been a circuitous 12 miles. The Guards officers decided to stay aboard, with the men watching video films. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Towards lunchtime, Major Ewen Southby-Tailyour RM brought landing craft out to them. He was worried. An enemy observation post was known to be in the hills; and a Canberra aircraft had flown high overhead the night before. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Air raids were still happening daily, there had been an alert earlier in the morning. He urged the Guards to land - land anywhere, but land now #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: The Guards replied that his landing craft were dangerous, they had ammunition piled aboard them. Besides, they still wanted to sail to Bluff Cove as per the plan. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 1715, just as the Welsh Guards had finally decided to disembark, two Skyhawks skimmed low into the inlet from the South East. Both ships were hit, Sir Tristham more seriously, so all landing craft were diverted to her. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: At 1735 a pair of Mirages arrived. There was a huge explosion aboard Sir Galahad, a pall of smoke and billowing flame. Those on the shore watched the horror unfold, helpless. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: A rapier battery had been in place above the anchorage for some hours, but its electronics had been shaken up by its journey, and despite frantic efforts by its crew to repair it, the battery was still not in action when the attacks came. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982 twitter.com/FAB87F/status/1666595275077500928?s=20

8th June 1982: It was, for Britain, the biggest disaster of the war. The bombings left 53 dead and 46 injured, mostly young Welsh Guardsmen. The disaster effectively destroyed 1 Welsh Guards as a fighting unit. All their kit was lost. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Helicopters worked through waves of heat which rose up to them, small arms exploding in the blaze sent ammunition whining all around them. Any approach to the ship was highly dangerous. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: With extraordinary skill and bravery the pilots flew time after time into that black cloud, hovered blind so their winch men could pull up survivors. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: When some of Sir Galahad's life-rafts drifting back to the ship the pilots took their helicopters down almost to water level so the wash from their rotor blades would drive the dinghies away again. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982 twitter.com/FAB87F/status/1666586917108953089?s=20

8th June 1982: Perhaps lost in the fog of war was that LCU F4 was also attacked by Skyhawks. The LCU was ferrying the vehicles of the 5th Brigade's headquarters from Darwin to Bluff Cove. Six Royal Marines went down with the vessel. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Memorials to the 7 men from the RFA and 43 Welsh Guards who lost their lives in the Bluff Cove Disaster. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982 #LestWeForget

8th June 1982: On a visit to the UK, President Reagan addresses Parliament: “On distant islands in the South Atlantic young men are fighting for Britain. And, yes, voices have been raised protesting their sacrifice for lumps of rock and earth so far away” #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: “But those young men aren't fighting for mere real estate. They fight for a cause. For the belief that armed aggression must not be allowed to succeed, and the people must participate in the decisions of government.” #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: President Reagans full speech can be viewed on YouTube at this url: youtu.be/Gm35tFTtsuc #F82 #FalklandsWar1982 twitter.com/FAB87F/status/1666586310499336199?s=20

8th June 1982: At 23:00 HMS Yarmouth hits Argentine positions around Stanley with 124 4.5" shells, pulling away before daylight... It's a small compensation for the day the task force has had. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

Situ8th June 1982: #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Foreign Office Situation Report for June 8th was released at 0700 hours. Main Points covered are the Vulcan diversion, follow up on the UN vote, relations with Latin America and US Diplomatic activity. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Situation Report for the Prime Minister. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Memo to the Prime Minister with an update on the Argentine bombing of the VLCC "The Hercules" and that HMS Hydra was sailing to offer assistance if required. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: MOD Press Release on the air attacks at Port Pleasant. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: From the NYT Royal Marine commandos have captured a ridge only five miles north of the center of Stanley, the main Argentine garrison in the Falkland Islands, and overlooking its vital airstrip, a correspondent at the battlefront reported tonight. #FalklandsWar1982

8th June 1982: Again from the NYT: Military sources say that, while they do not discount British military achievements in the Falklands, they believe Argentine commanders have made a series of errors that have placed their forces in an untenable position. #F82 #FalklandsWar1982