Thin Pinstriped Line

  It was 0830 local time on Friday 11 March 1983. Off the coast of Argentina, south of the Valdes peninsula the Argentine A69 patrol frigate GUERRICO was proceeding south at 17kts on a covert patrol, all her radars powered down, and operating under ‘EMCON silent’ procedure. Unknown to her ships company though, the GUERRICO was being stalked by the Royal Navy submarine HMS OSIRIS, closed up at action stations and tracking the warships every move as she conducted secret intelligence gathering patrols off the Argentine coast… In the aftermath of the Falklands War in 1982 the Royal Navy established an ongoing commitment to deploy submarines to the region to monitor Argentinean military activity, gather intelligence and provide a credible military deterrent to any renewed aggression. The war itself had proven the value of submarine operations, with both nuclear and conventional submarines deployed in roles ranging from special forces support, covert reconnaissance and intelligence gat...

The Parachute Regiment is one of the youngest Regiments in the British Army, yet holds near legendary status for its exploits. Born in the dark hours of WW2, perhaps its most difficult yet proudest hour was during Operation Market Garden, 80 years ago this month, when after landing in the Netherlands, it fought against overwhelming odds to try to capture and hold the bridge at Arnhem. Unable to be relieved in time by the wider Army, the ensuing withdrawal was a defeat. With losses of over 8,000 men from the 12,000 dropped, the battle for Arnhem is one of its proudest Battle Honours and a salient reminder of both the courage of the individual soldier, and the challenges in integrating airborne operations into the land campaign. Crown Copyright After WW2 the British Army retained a credible parachute capability, in the form of 16 Independent Parachute Brigade, carrying out post war colonial policing and carrying out drops into Egypt  in 1956 as part of the Suez campaign. Used as a ‘f...

  The Royal Navy PEACOCK class patrol vessels were an unusual class of ship, built for a unique role. Built in the 1980s and intended to serve in Hong Kong to provide maritime security and support to the local government, they have found themselves serving in a more varied range of waters, from the balmy waters of the Philippines to the cold waters of the Irish Sea. Now entering their fourth decade of service, these ships were only in Royal Navy for use for less than 15 years, but had events transpired differently, could potentially have served for a lot longer under the White Ensign.   Files held in the National Archives have revealed that in the early 1990s, the leadership of the Royal Navy was, at the very highest levels, incredibly keen to keep the ships in use after the handover of Hong Kong, but politics in the Naval Staff and financial challenges meant that this was not to be. This short blog is about the forgotten 1990s battle between the Naval Staff to save the PEAC...