bobdina
11-30-2009, 01:56 PM
Captain Robin Green: Royal Fleet Auxiliary officer
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Captain Robin Green
Captain Robin Green
Captain Robin Green commanded the landing support ship Sir Tristram during the Falklands conflict of 1982.
The invasion of the islands vividly reminded everyone of Argentina’s territorial claims but drew few allies. The British, operating at a vast distance from friendly bases and threatened by the approach of winter, had to blunt the highly capable Argentine air force and then effect a major amphibious landing under continuing attacks from the remaining enemy aircraft.
The six landing ships of the Sir Tristram class played an important role in supporting the successful San Carlos Bay landings with ammunition, vehicles and stores. But the need for haste coupled with classic examples of Clausewitz’s “friction of war” and a certain complacency about the threat led to the disaster of Bluff Cove, one of the most effective Argentine air attacks of the war and a tragedy that provoked much postwar discussion about whether someone had blundered.
By the morning of May 8 Sir Tristram had unloaded most of her 1,500 tons of artillery ammunition at Fitzroy harbour for the newly arrived 5 Brigade reinforcements in the south of the islands. She was joined by the Sir Galahad, which had come round from San Carlos carrying two companies of the Welsh Guards. Communications problems, lack of helicopters and consequent delays in embarking field ambulance and Rapier antiaircraft missile launchers meant that Sir Galahad arrived in daylight instead of at night as planned.
Lack of urgency in getting the guardsmen ashore as soon as possible was to have dire consequences. An unfortunate and unforeseen clearing of the weather to bright sunlight exposed these two ships in the bay to Argentine observation posts, surrounded as they were by flat terrain and unprotected by defensive ships or missiles.
The inevitable airstrike by five Skyhawks was devastating. Two attacked Sir Tristram and hit with three bombs, one of which passed through the ship without exploding, causing several casualties among Green’s Hong Kong Chinese crew and starting fierce fires. The attack on Sir Galahad was much more serious. Three Skyhawks hit with several bombs, causing 48 deaths, of which 32 were guardsmen, and 115 burnt or otherwise injured. The order to abandon ship was given and fortunately sufficient helicopters and craft were available quickly to evacuate the survivors. Dramatic television filming of the event was widely seen and frequently repeated.
Green sent a lifeboat to help Sir Galahad and managed to master the fires in his ship and maintain the morale of his people who, of course, were confronting situations well outside their contracts. Sir Tristram was also abandoned, then recovered and used as an accommodation ship at Port Stanley, being eventually towed home for rebuilding.
Green was awarded the DSC for his courage and leadership in carrying his Hong Kong Chinese crew through much danger and difficulty.
George Robert Green was always known as Robin. He was educated at the Merchant Navy training school, HMS Conway, and went to sea in 1952 as a junior officer in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Eaglesdale. His first captaincy was the tanker Eddyfirth in 1979. During a full and satisfying career in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Green became noted for his cheerful leadership and his skill in seamanship and ship handling. In 1991 he retired to take a part-time job with P&O on cross-Channel ferries, but a heart attack in 1994 brought that to a close.
In full retirement he became an active member of Mole Valley Probus Club and of Victim Support and maintained his interest in model railways.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Traynor, whom he married in 1967, and their three children.
Captain Robin Green, DSC, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Captain of the Sir Tristram in the Falklands conflict, was born on October 18, 1934. He died on October 5, 2009, aged 74
*
Recommend? (3)
Captain Robin Green
Captain Robin Green
Captain Robin Green commanded the landing support ship Sir Tristram during the Falklands conflict of 1982.
The invasion of the islands vividly reminded everyone of Argentina’s territorial claims but drew few allies. The British, operating at a vast distance from friendly bases and threatened by the approach of winter, had to blunt the highly capable Argentine air force and then effect a major amphibious landing under continuing attacks from the remaining enemy aircraft.
The six landing ships of the Sir Tristram class played an important role in supporting the successful San Carlos Bay landings with ammunition, vehicles and stores. But the need for haste coupled with classic examples of Clausewitz’s “friction of war” and a certain complacency about the threat led to the disaster of Bluff Cove, one of the most effective Argentine air attacks of the war and a tragedy that provoked much postwar discussion about whether someone had blundered.
By the morning of May 8 Sir Tristram had unloaded most of her 1,500 tons of artillery ammunition at Fitzroy harbour for the newly arrived 5 Brigade reinforcements in the south of the islands. She was joined by the Sir Galahad, which had come round from San Carlos carrying two companies of the Welsh Guards. Communications problems, lack of helicopters and consequent delays in embarking field ambulance and Rapier antiaircraft missile launchers meant that Sir Galahad arrived in daylight instead of at night as planned.
Lack of urgency in getting the guardsmen ashore as soon as possible was to have dire consequences. An unfortunate and unforeseen clearing of the weather to bright sunlight exposed these two ships in the bay to Argentine observation posts, surrounded as they were by flat terrain and unprotected by defensive ships or missiles.
The inevitable airstrike by five Skyhawks was devastating. Two attacked Sir Tristram and hit with three bombs, one of which passed through the ship without exploding, causing several casualties among Green’s Hong Kong Chinese crew and starting fierce fires. The attack on Sir Galahad was much more serious. Three Skyhawks hit with several bombs, causing 48 deaths, of which 32 were guardsmen, and 115 burnt or otherwise injured. The order to abandon ship was given and fortunately sufficient helicopters and craft were available quickly to evacuate the survivors. Dramatic television filming of the event was widely seen and frequently repeated.
Green sent a lifeboat to help Sir Galahad and managed to master the fires in his ship and maintain the morale of his people who, of course, were confronting situations well outside their contracts. Sir Tristram was also abandoned, then recovered and used as an accommodation ship at Port Stanley, being eventually towed home for rebuilding.
Green was awarded the DSC for his courage and leadership in carrying his Hong Kong Chinese crew through much danger and difficulty.
George Robert Green was always known as Robin. He was educated at the Merchant Navy training school, HMS Conway, and went to sea in 1952 as a junior officer in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Eaglesdale. His first captaincy was the tanker Eddyfirth in 1979. During a full and satisfying career in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Green became noted for his cheerful leadership and his skill in seamanship and ship handling. In 1991 he retired to take a part-time job with P&O on cross-Channel ferries, but a heart attack in 1994 brought that to a close.
In full retirement he became an active member of Mole Valley Probus Club and of Victim Support and maintained his interest in model railways.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Traynor, whom he married in 1967, and their three children.
Captain Robin Green, DSC, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Captain of the Sir Tristram in the Falklands conflict, was born on October 18, 1934. He died on October 5, 2009, aged 74