RFA Operations since 1905

1982 Falklands War

The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the former country’s occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Falkland Islands consist of two large and many small islands in the South Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina; their name and sovereignty over them have long been disputed.

The Falklands War started on Friday, 2 April 1982 with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982. The war lasted 74 days, and resulted in the deaths of 255 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and three civilian Falkland Islanders.

Operation Corporate – the code name for the recovery of the Falkland Islands involved a considerable deployment of Royal Naval, Army and Royal Air Force assets and these were supported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Operation Paraquet - the code name for the British military operation to recapture the Island of South Georgia involved a smaller deployment of British Forces which were again supported by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships deployed to the South Atlantic in support of Operations Corporate and Paraquet were: -

* RFA involved in supporting Operation Paraquet