The QE2 in the Falklands War E-Book

Commodore Ronald W. Warwick OBE

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 419

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

On her launch in 1969, QE2 began a long career as Cunard's luxurious flagship – the last great transatlantic liner from a vanishing era. However, this leisure service was interrupted in 1982 when she was requisitioned by the British government to carry over 3,000 troops to the South Atlantic as part of the Falklands war effort. The voyage itself was an immense task, including refuelling at sea under hazardous weather conditions and navigating by night through a treacherous South Atlantic icefield. Using interviews and extracts from diaries kept during the voyage by the authors and other crew members, as well as previously unpublished documents, David Humphreys and Commodore Ronald W. Warwick present the captivating and detailed story of QE2 through her time as a troopship. Illustrated with numerous photographs showing the conversion to a troop ship, on-board training exercises and helicopter manoeuvres, this important book is the first to reveal the enormous contribution of the ship to the British war effort, delivering the largest number of troops to the war zone.

Leseprobe

Dedicated to the men and women of the Merchant NavyandIn memory of all who fell in the Falklands War

There are those men that go down to the sea in ships and make their living on the oceans of the world.

These men see the works of the Lord and his wonders of the deep.

Psalm 107

Dedication page anchor image designed by Freepik

First published 2025

The History Press

97 St George’s Place, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire, GL50 3QB

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Ronald W. Warwick and David Humphreys, 2025

The right of Ronald W. Warwick and David Humphreys to be identified as the Authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 80399 739 1

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ Books Limited, Padstow, Cornwall

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

Contents

Foreword by Admiral The Rt Hon. the Lord West of Spithead

Introduction

1 The Falkland Islands and South Georgia

2 The Argentinian Invasion

3 Cunard Ships at War

4QE2 is Requisitioned

5 Conversion to a Troopship

6 The Volunteers

7 5 Infantry Brigade

8 The Voyage South to Freetown

9 Freetown to South Georgia

10 Grytviken, South Georgia Island

11 The Survivors and Their Ships

12 Homeward Bound to Southampton

13QE2 Arrives Home

14 Military Units Embarked on QE2

15QE2 Logbook Extract

16 The Cost of the Requisition

17 The Volunteer Crew of QE2

18 Afterword

Notes

Bibliography and Sources

Acknowledgements

The Authors

Foreword

Commodore Ronald Warwick and Professor David Humphreys’ book is a fascinating account of the part QE2 played in the Falklands War. It was a maritime war and only a nation with significant maritime capability could have prosecuted it and emerged victorious. Although steadily eroded since the Second World War, the Royal Navy remained a force of considerable power with global reach.

The UK merchant marine, although only a shadow of its former self, was still of appreciable size and there remained a large cadre of trained seamen. It was a diverse fleet including some magnificent cruise ships and liners. By far the most significant of these was Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2.

To prosecute the war in the South Atlantic, some 8,000 miles away from the United Kingdom, it was necessary to use many of these merchant ships to assist the Royal Navy. In total, forty-five merchant ships were requisitioned in addition to the twenty-four merchant-crewed Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. This compares with the thirty-nine Royal Navy warships ships that took part.

Transporting large numbers of troops when there was no friendly airfield of any size within 4,000 miles necessitated the use of troop ships and, as Warwick and Humphreys explain, QE2 was perfect for the role. Indeed, she was following in the footsteps of her illustrious predecessors, RMS Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, which transported tens of thousands of troops across the Atlantic in the Second World War, with Churchill later saying their contribution had shortened the war.

Requisitioned on 3 May 1982, QE2 departed on the 12th carrying 2,988 troops of 5 Infantry Brigade that were required for the final assault on Port Stanley.

They arrived safely, having transhipped to the Canberra, Norland and other ships in South Georgia, in time to ensure the collapse of the Argentinian forces before the full rigours of the Antarctic winter impacted on military operations.

Having disembarked 5 Brigade, QE2 took on board the survivors of three sunken Royal Navy ships and returned them to the UK. I was one of those survivors and this book describes in detail how life was on board on that passage home. What was amazing was the kindness and care the QE2 ship’s company lavished on us. I will never forget them.

QE2 was crucial to victory and this tale of her part in it is a wonderful tribute to the ship and her crew.

Admiral The Rt Hon. the Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC PC

Introduction

Although Britain and Argentina never formally declared war on each other, most military and maritime historians refer to this moment in time as ‘the Falklands War’. Until now the full story of Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), the most famous ship to take part in the 1982 Falklands War, has not been told. Yet QE2 made a vital contribution to the outcome, considerably shortening the seventy-four-day conflict despite being at anchor in an area of danger for only forty-six hours.

QE2 was launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1967 and entered into commercial service as the Cunard Line flagship in 1969. Thirteen years later she was one of the last ships to be requisitioned for service in the South Atlantic. Here is the story of her most epic voyage, from the moment this majestic ship was requisitioned, to her conversion to a troopship, to the risks and dangers of the voyage that followed.

We believe we are well qualified to tell the story of QE2’s South Atlantic odyssey because we were there. We served as members of her volunteer crew: one as chief officer, the other as a senior petty officer in the accounts department. We had the privilege of sailing with wonderful crew members: hard-working seafarers who are generous, entertaining and humble.

While writing this book we reached out to the crew of QE2, the embarked soldiers whom we took to the South Atlantic and the survivors who returned home with us, asking them for their recollections of the voyage and to share their experiences. We thank everyone who so kindly contributed for entrusting their memories to us so that we can share them with you.

This is more than the story of a famous liner engaged unexpectedly in a military operation. It is the story of those on board who lived through and experienced that astonishing voyage. Everyone who worked as crew members on board continues to feel a great sense of pride and loyalty to QE2.

This is not just our story. It is a story that belongs to everyone who served on board QE2 during her finest hour.

Ronald W. Warwick and David HumphreysJanuary 2025

1

The Falkland Islands and South Georgia

The Falkland Islands (known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic about 300 miles east of mainland South America. The archipelago comprises two large islands – West Falkland and East Falkland – and approximately 740 smaller islands. West and East Falkland are separated by a stretch of water known by the British as Falkland Sound. The capital of East Falkland is Port Stanley.

It has been claimed that the first sighting of the islands was by the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci in 1502.1 Another claim is that the islands were first discovered in 1519 by the Portuguese.2 The first known sighting by the British was in 1592, by the crew of the Desire commanded by Captain John Davis. The first recorded landing was in January 1690 from HMS Welfare. Her master, Captain John Strong, named the islands after Viscount Falkland, the Royal Navy treasurer.3

Over ensuing years, ships from France, Spain and Britain visited the islands, laying claims of sovereignty and establishing settlements. It is believed the islands were first occupied by French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, who established a settlement on East Falkland in 1764. He named the islands the Malouines, which later became Las Malvinas in Spanish.4 In 1765 Captain John Byron landed on the islands and raised the Union flag. In 1767, France sold its interest in the islands to Spain.5 In January 1771, Britain and Spain signed a peace treaty over the islands, although both continued to reserve their rights on sovereignty. British settlers departed the islands in 1774 for economic reasons, while continuing to claim sovereignty.6 Spain maintained a settlement until 1811.7

The origins of the present disagreement between Argentina and Britain lie in the early decades of the nineteenth century. In what is now Argentina, a succession of wars were fought from 1810 to 1818 between pro-independence forces and pro-royalist forces loyal to Spain. In July 1816, the foundation of the state of Argentina was declared. The new country laid claim to all territories formerly governed by the Spanish vice-royalty, including Spain’s acquisition in 1767 of France’s interest in the Falkland Islands. In 1826 the first colonists from Argentina settled on the islands.8

In January 1833, HMS Clio captained by James Onslow arrived at the Falklands, lowered the Argentinian flag and raised the Union Jack.9 Britain then set about settling the islands. Since then Argentina has claimed the islands are a legitimate part of its territory. However, the islanders have consistently supported rule by Britain. By the time of the invasion, the population was approximately 2,000. About 80 per cent of these were born on the islands. All of the population, most of whom are of British decent, have known only British rule.

The island of South Georgia is more remotely situated in a more southerly latitude and some 800 nautical miles further to the east. The island is believed to have first been sighted in the late 1600s. Captain James Cook set foot on South Georgia in January 1775, naming the large inlet where he landed Cumberland Bay. In 1908, both South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands were formally annexed by Britain. Seven whaling stations were established on the island with the largest at Grytviken and Stromness. The Grytviken station remained active until it closed down in 1965.

In 1927 the dispute over the Falklands was widened when Argentina made a claim to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. However, the UK has continued to maintain a presence on the island of South Georgia. This included a group of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey backed up with periodic visits of HMS Endurance.

Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the Falklands Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands gained momentum in the 1960s. Negotiations between Argentina and the UK took place from 1966 to 1968. It later emerged that in 1968 the two countries drafted a memorandum of understanding that included the provision: ‘The government of the United Kingdom will recognise Argentina’s sovereignty over the Islands with effect from a date to be agreed.’10 However, while the text of the memorandum was agreed, for reasons that are unclear it was never formalised as a diplomatic communiqué.

In 1975, Lord Edward Shackleton, the son of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was commissioned by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office to prepare a report on the economic future of the Falkland Islands. Argentina was invited to participate in the survey but declined. Shackleton carried out the survey in a ship named after his father, the Royal Research Ship (RRS) Shackleton. At the start of the survey in February 1976, the Argentine destroyer Almirante Storni fired a shot across the RRS Shackleton’s bow.11 After this incident the British Ambassador to Argentina was withdrawn. At the time, Argentina was under the presidency of Isabel Perón, who was overthrown in a military coup a few weeks later.

Lord Shackleton’s 1976 report argued that the UK had neglected the economic development of the islands, both in Port Stanley and in the camp (as the countryside outside the capital is known). He recommended increased financial assistance, lengthening the runway at Stanley airport, the development of offshore fishery resources and an expansion in tourism.12 Shackleton’s report pleased those in the UK seeking to keep the islands under British rule. However, the report was not welcomed by those concerned with the economic cost of the islands to the UK and who were seeking increased cooperation with Argentina. The Labour government of James Callaghan gave no indication that it intended to implement Shackleton’s recommendations. Neither did the Conservative government elected in 1979.

In 1980, the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher drew up a proposal whereby Britain would hand over titular sovereignty of the Falklands to Argentina. Argentina would then lease the islands back to the UK for ninety-nine years. As Lawrence Freedman reveals in The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, a secret meeting took place between British and Argentine officials at which the plan was discussed.13 In November a junior foreign office minister, Nicholas Ridley, visited the Falklands. The islanders he met were strongly opposed to the proposal.14

In 1981, a UK Defence Review proposed extensive cuts to the Royal Navy including the withdrawal of HMS Endurance,15 a Royal Navy ice patrol vessel that maintained a presence in Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The Defence Review estimated that withdrawing Endurance, the only British ship to connect the Falklands to the UK, would save about £4 million a year. At the same time, proposals were under consideration to close the British Antarctic Survey station at Grytviken. In Buenos Aires, the military junta interpreted these developments as a signal the British were losing interest in the islands and their protection.

In February 1982, the UK and Argentina held discussions about the Falklands at the British and Argentine diplomatic missions in New York. Enrique Mos, the deputy of Argentina’s foreign minister Nicanor Costa Méndez, proposed establishing a permanent British–Argentine commission to consider the question of sovereignty. The commission would hold monthly meetings with chairmanship rotating between the two countries. The British reacted favourably to the idea and a communiqué was issued that affirmed the resolve of the two governments to find a solution. However, the communiqué, which described the talks as ‘cordial and positive’,16 was not welcomed by the Argentine government, which had wanted the talks to push the UK into a corner. In Buenos Aires, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement that if Argentina were not given sovereignty over the islands, it would use other means to secure them.17

These events provided the contextual background to the South Atlantic crisis of 1982. Argentina had been pressing its claims for several decades. The country’s position had become firmer in the early months of 1982. Meanwhile, it could be argued that the UK’s willingness to consider a possible transfer of sovereignty, the failure to commit to Lord Shackleton’s recommendations and the planned withdrawal of HMS Endurance suggested a declining interest in the Falklands – at least, that is how the military junta in Buenos Aires appears to have judged British intentions.

2

The Argentinian Invasion

At the time of the invasion, Argentina had been under military rule since March 1976 when President Isabel Perón was overthrown in a coup. A military junta comprising the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force took over the government.

The sequence of events that led to Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands began in 1979 when Constantino Davidoff, an Argentinian businessman and scrap metal merchant, obtained a contract to buy and remove scrap metal from abandoned whaling stations on South Georgia.18 Davidoff and seven salvage workers sailed with British permission to South Georgia to inspect the Stromness whaling station in December 1981.

Davidoff returned to Stromness with a workforce, arriving at Leith Harbour on 19 March 1982. However, before landing on South Georgia, Davidoff was required to obtain a landing permit, which he failed to do. A few days later the group was sighted by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, who also spotted the Argentine flag flying. This was reported to Rex Hunt, the British governor in the Falklands. He in turn instructed the scientists to send a message to the contractors instructing them to lower the flag and requesting one of their party to travel to Grytviken to obtain the landing permit. The flag was lowered but nobody attempted to obtain the requested documentation. In London the government ordered HMS Endurance, under the command of Captain Nicholas Barker, to proceed to Stromness and evict the workers.19

The situation on South Georgia and the demands of the British government appear to have provided the junta with a convenient pretext and the motivation to proceed with an invasion. At this same time, the Argentine naval fleet was preparing to carry out fleet manoeuvre exercises with Brazil off Montevideo in Uruguay. All it took was a change of orders for the ships to be diverted. Several ships from the Argentine fleet assembled at Puerto Belgrano. They included the aircraft carrier Veinticinco de Mayo (ex-Royal Navy, launched in 1943 as HMS Venerable) and the submarine Santa Fe (ex-US Navy, launched in 1944 as USS Catfish).

A further factor concerned the foreign relations between Argentina and the United States. When Ronald Reagan assumed the US presidency in January 1981, he regarded Argentina as a useful ally against Communism and left-wing movements in Latin America. Leopoldo Galtieri received a warm welcome when he visited Washington as commander-in-chief of the Army in November 1981, two months before Reagan became president.20 The junta appear to have judged that, while an invasion would not be welcomed by Washington, it would probably be accepted. They were wrong.

By 1 April the Argentine naval fleet was off the coast of the Falklands. Rex Hunt ordered all sensitive and classified documents to be shredded and burned.21 He conferred with Major Mike Norman, the head of the island’s detachment of sixty-nine Royal Marines based at the Moody Brook barracks to the west of Stanley. It was recognised that the marines were heavily outnumbered and outgunned. The plan was for the marines, supported by the Falkland Islands Defence Force, a local civilian volunteer force, to resist and delay the Argentine forces as long as possible while avoiding civilian casualties. Hunt made a broadcast advising all citizens to remain indoors.

In the early hours of 2 April 1982, Argentine forces made an amphibious landing on the Falkland Islands. This was known as Operation Rosario. Argentine soldiers heavily outnumbered the Royal Marines detachment. After several exchanges of fire, Hunt asked Major Norman to lay down arms at 0925 hours.22 Later that day Hunt, his family and the Royal Marines were flown to the UK via Montevideo, Uruguay. The following day, Argentinian forces landed on South Georgia and overwhelmed the detachment of twenty-two Royal Marines at Grytviken. However, before the Royal Marines surrendered they shot down a Puma helicopter which had taken off from the Argentine vessel Bahía Paraíso.

The news that British territory had been seized through military force led to a sense of shock and national shame. On Saturday, 3 April, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords met in emergency session. This was only the third time the House of Commons had met on a Saturday since the Second World War, the last occasion being the Suez crisis of 1956. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher pledged the government’s support for the islanders, noting that the people of the Falkland Islands, like those of the UK, were island people:

I must tell the House that the Falkland Islands and their dependencies remain British territory. No aggression and no invasion can alter that simple fact. It is the Government’s objective to see that the islands are freed from occupation and are returned to British administration at the earliest possible moment … The people of the Falkland Islands … have the right to live in peace, to choose their own way of life and to determine their own allegiance. Their way of life is British: their allegiance is to the Crown.23

The leader of the opposition, Michael Foot, responded:

… there is the longer-term interest to ensure that foul and brutal aggression does not succeed in our world. If it does, there will be a danger not merely to the Falkland Islands, but to people all over this dangerous planet.24

On the same day as the sittings at Parliament, an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council convened in New York, where it passed Resolution 502. This stated that the Security Council was:

Deeply disturbed at reports of an invasion on 2 April 1982 by armed forces of Argentina.

Determining that there exists a breach of the peace in the region of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas),

1. Demands an immediate cessation of hostilities.

2. Demands an immediate withdrawal of all Argentine forces from the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).

3. Calls on the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to seek a diplomatic solution to their differences and to respect fully the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.25

The resolution was adopted by ten votes to one. The countries that voted in favour were three of the five permanent members (UK, USA, France) plus seven temporary members (Guyana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Togo, Uganda and Zaire). Panama was the only country to vote against. Four countries abstained: two permanent members (China and the Soviet Union) and two temporary members (Poland and Spain).

The US secretary of state, Alexander Haig, attempted to mediate a settlement through ‘shuttle diplomacy’, flying between Buenos Aires, Washington and London in an effort to broker a deal. Haig’s mission ended when the governments of the two countries adhered to positions that were unacceptable to each other: Argentina would agree to withdraw its forces only if the UK first recognised Argentine sovereignty over the islands, while the UK insisted on immediate withdrawal without preconditions.

The British government decided to take action and a task force was formed with the code name Operation Corporate under the leadership of Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse. Included in the task force were the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible (Captain J.J. Black) and HMS Hermes (Captain L.E. Middleton). The main task force put to sea on 5 April 1982. For support, several Merchant Navy vessels were requisitioned by the government. They were known as Ships Taken Up From Trade (STUFT). In all, the task force comprised forty-five STUFTs, five trawlers manned by Royal Navy personnel, thirty-nine Royal Navy ships and twenty-four Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. The P&O cruise liner Canberra was converted at Southampton to carry troops and sailed a few days later on 9 April.

Three Cunard ships contributed to the task force. They were the container ships Atlantic Conveyor (Captain Ian North) and Atlantic Causeway (Captain Michael Twomey RNR) and the refrigerated cargo vessel Saxonia (Captain H. Evans). Cunard ships have a long tradition of serving the British Crown by supporting naval campaigns in wartime. However, as the task force sailed south, it appeared that there would be no role in Operation Corporate for QE2.

3

Cunard Ships at War

Several Cunarders were requisitioned to support Britain during the Crimean War (1853–56).26 A total of fourteen Cunard ships served in the campaign.27 Of those, Arabia transported all the horses used in the Charge of the Light Brigade.

During the American Civil War (1861–65), the Cunard liners Australasia and Persia transported British troops to reinforce the British and Canadian position of neutrality.28 Cunard ships also served in the first and second Boer wars.

The company’s ships were central to British naval strategy during the First World War. The liner Mauretania (launched 1906) started the war by making several voyages transporting British soldiers to fight in the Gallipoli campaign. Aquitania (launched 1913) also served as a troop ship, after which she became a hospital ship evacuating casualties from Gallipoli. Both ships finished the war serving on the North Atlantic, carrying American troops to Europe, while transporting fare-paying passengers on their westbound passages.29

Cunard’s transatlantic liner Carmania (launched 1905) was requisitioned in August 1914. She was converted into an armed merchant cruiser and fitted with eight 4.7in guns for defensive purposes. Carmania was ordered to the Caribbean, where she made history by participating in the first, and so far only, liner-versus-liner naval battle. This was against the German ship Cap Trafalgar, which like Carmania had been converted to an armed merchant ship. The two armed liners encountered each other off the coast of Trinidad in September 1914. Carmania fired a warning shot across the German ship’s bow. Cap Trafalgar’s response was to open fire on the Cunarder. Carmania responded, aiming fire at the waterline of the German ship, causing severe flooding and leading the Cap Trafalgar to roll on her side.30

The Cunarder Lusitania (launched 1906) held the prestigious Blue Riband in 1908 for the fastest Atlantic crossing. However, while under the command of Captain William T. Turner she was sunk by the German submarine U-20 (Kapitän Walther Schwieger), south of Ireland in May 1915. Her sinking led to the loss of nearly 1,200 lives, turning public opinion in North America against Germany and contributing to the USA entering the conflict in 1917.31

Other Cunard losses during the First World War included Ivernia,32Andania, Aurania, Caria, Folia, Feltria, Franconia, Alaunia and Lycia.33 One of the last Cunard ships sunk by a U-boat in the First World War was Carpathia, sunk by U-55 (Commander Wilhelm Werner). Carpathia had become famous in April 1912 as the ship which responded to the SOS telegraphed by White Star Line’s Titanic after she struck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage.

In the Second World War, the two Cunard Queens of that era – Queen Mary (launched 1934) and Queen Elizabeth (launched 1938) – were requisitioned. The two Queens were much faster than any other troopships during the war. After being launched, Queen Elizabeth went straight into service as a troop carrier.34 In 1940, Queen Mary sailed to Sydney, Australia, where she was converted to carry troops. She then carried Australian troops to Scotland via Cape Town. Between them, the two Queens delivered some 80,000 Australian soldiers to Suez and the Middle East. A port that the two ships visited en route was Freetown, then part of British Sierra Leone.35

Throughout the latter part of the Second World War, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth plied the North Atlantic, bringing thousands of Canadian and American troops to the UK in preparation for the Normandy landings. ‘Mary’ and ‘Lizzie’, as they were affectionately known, made several transatlantic crossings, carrying as many as 15,000 troops on each eastbound voyage. On westbound crossings they carried wounded military personnel and civilian evacuees from the war in Europe.

German submarines were a constant threat during these crossings. Three Cunard ships were sunk by German U-boats during the Second World War. Two were torpedoed: Carinthia (launched 1925) and Andania (launched 1921). Laurentic (launched 1908) was sunk by a German mine. A fourth vessel, Lancastria (launched 1920) under the command of Captain Rudolph Sharp, was destroyed in June 1940 by Luftwaffe dive-bomber aircraft off the coast of St-Nazaire, France, while evacuating British troops and civilians. Estimates of total lives lost vary but number at least 6,000,36 the greatest loss of life on a single ship in British maritime history.

At war’s end, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary remained in service transporting troops, making westbound transatlantic crossings to return home some of the victorious troops to North America, and eastbound crossings to bring home British prisoners of war held captive by Japan as well as transporting fresh Canadian and American troops to garrison Germany.

Franconia (launched 1922) served as a troopship during the Second World War.37 In January 1945, she sailed to the Black Sea to serve as the base for the British delegation to the Yalta Conference between Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. They met to discuss the final stages of the war and the post-war division of Europe.38 Meanwhile, Aquitania served on the North Atlantic, transporting troops from New York to the UK in preparation for D-Day.39 She was the only Cunarder to see service in both world wars.

Cunard suffered the loss of ships due to submarine attacks in the two world wars. In the Second World War, there was the additional risk of losing ships to aerial bombing. However, the two wars highlighted the significant strategic advantages that could be gained from using requisitioned ocean liners to transport troops to a theatre of war. At the end of the war, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, said:

The officers and men of the Merchant Marine by their dedication to duty in the face of enemy action as well as the natural dangers of the sea have brought to us the tools to finish the job. This contribution to Final Victory will long be remembered.40

Prime Minister Winston Churchill also spoke with great appreciation:

The Merchant Navy, with its Allied comrades, night and day, in weather fair or foul, faces not only the ordinary perils on the sea, but the sudden assaults of war from beneath the waters or from the sky. We feel confident that the proud tradition of our island will be upheld today, wherever the Ensign of a British Merchantman is flown.41

After the Second World War, Churchill made several crossings on Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, which, he said, had helped shorten the war by at least a year.

Thirty-seven years after the end of the Second World War, there was no expectation that QE2 would become a troopship as so many Cunard ships had done earlier in the century.

4

QE2 is Requisitioned

I never thought I’d go to war again.

Captain Peter Jackson, Master of QE2

The year 1982 had started in normal fashion for the great liner. In January, she departed New York on an eastbound world cruise. On 4 March, she put into Hong Kong, then governed by the UK. She docked at the Kowloon Passenger Terminal, occupying the north-side berth. Occupying the south-side berth was SS Canberra, which like QE2 was on her annual world cruise but sailing westbound. Over the years, these two great ships were occasionally together in their home port of Southampton. However, it was rare for them to be in port together outside the UK. Just a few months later, QE2 and Canberra would again be together but in circumstances that could not have been foreseen at the time.

On 20 April, QE2 left Southampton for a transatlantic crossing to Philadelphia to take part in the tercentennial anniversary of the city’s foundation in 1682 by William Penn. On 25 April, the day when QE2 arrived in Philadelphia, British forces recaptured South Georgia from Argentina. This led to one of the most memorable signals of the war. Captain Brian Young RN, commander of HMS Antrim, signalled London ‘Be pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Ensign flies alongside the Union Jack in South Georgia. God save the Queen’.42

QE2 departed from Philadelphia on 29 April, putting to sea in anticipation of a normal eastbound transatlantic crossing. With the British task force sailing south, some crew members wondered whether QE2 might yet take part in the campaign. First Officer Philip Rentell and Second Officer Paul Jowett were on the Bridge for the 8 to 12 watch when they decided to calculate the fuel, time and distance for a voyage from Southampton to the Falklands. Their calculations were filling a notepad when Captain Alexander J. Hutcheson RD RNR appeared, observed the two officers and joked, ‘You two will have us down there!’ Within days their calculations would be of interest. The officers had calculated that QE2 would cover the 8,000-mile route at a speed of 27½ knots over ten and a half days, during which her engines would consume 6,000 tons of oil. That oil would have a retail value of $1,080,000 at $180 per ton for the one-way trip.

QE2 crew traditionally referred to the evening before the ship docked in Southampton as ‘channels night’. As the ship approached the English Channel, there would be a growing anticipation among the crew, some of whom would be preparing to sign off on leave. Those not signing off who lived in the Southampton area would be looking forward to spending a few hours with family and friends. Channels night on this crossing was Sunday, 2 May.

The following day, Monday, 3 May, was a memorable one. QE2 was due to dock near midnight at Southampton, change passengers and take on board stores for a thirteen-day Mediterranean cruise. The cruise never took place. At 1230 hours, as the Cunarder sailed along the southern coast of England just past Land’s End, several officers and crew picked up the news from BBC radio that QE2 had been requisitioned. The news bulletin came as something of a shock as no official notification had been received.

Most crew members can remember where they were on the ship and what they were doing when they heard the news that day. Hotel officer Terry Foskett was preparing immigration documentation. It was normal procedure for a UK immigration officer to board the ship in the USA, then sail with her east across the Atlantic Ocean, processing passengers in order to expedite immigration clearance in Southampton. Terry and the immigration official were working in a passenger cabin when a bedroom steward opened the door and asked if he could provide any beverages or lunch, before adding, ‘By the way, have you heard? We’ve been requisitioned.’ Cruise director Tim Castle was in his office on One Deck forward when he heard a cheer from the nearby crew mess. Other crew members who heard the news responded with enthusiasm.

Hairdresser Timothy Williams was working in the Steiners salon on One Deck aft when the news reached him. Crew member Clive Dalley was on his way to the Six Deck working alley, descending the crew-only part of ‘A’ Stairway, when a crew member told him the news. Hotel officer Rupert Ballantyne was working in the Double Down Room Bar when his bleeper sounded, requesting he telephone a colleague. He made the call and was told the news. Stewardess Elena Littlehales was having a cup of tea with friends in the One Deck aft pantry when the news arrived. She was preparing to clean cabins and remake beds in preparation for the next cruise, now cancelled.

First Officer Rentell had accepted an invitation for a lunchtime drink with friends in one of the penthouse suites to bid farewell to one of the shop staff. Also there was Anthony Dance, the shop manager, who was due to sign off the ship on arrival and join an Italian ship. The group were listening to BBC Radio 2’s lunchtime show when the host Jimmy Young announced that QE2 had been requisitioned.

One of the radio officers who heard the BBC broadcast went to the Bridge and reported the news to the 12 to 4 watch. When Captain Hutcheson was telephoned by an enterprising BBC reporter and asked about the requisitioning, he responded that he knew nothing officially. There was some feeling among the officers that the ship should have been forewarned before the media. Following official confirmation, Captain Hutcheson made a Tannoy announcement throughout the ship shortly after 1300 hours, informing everyone that QE2 would be withdrawn from commercial service upon arrival at Southampton. Contacted again by a reporter and asked his thoughts about the news, he replied, ‘I think the troops will enjoy Cunard luxury.’ By now there was a growing air of excitement around the ship, among crew and passengers. Crew members sought out television sets with good reception to watch the BBC One O’clock News.

The officers’ Wardroom on Boat Deck was bustling with off-duty officers. In the Columbia Restaurant, waiter Pierre Cornlouer watched the news on an old television secreted in a dumb waiter no longer in use. Meanwhile, the Petty Officers’ Club on Two Deck forward, the social space for senior cooks, carpenters, mechanics, office crew and security staff, was packed with standing room only. The news broadcast showed the formal announcement of the requisitioning by Ian McDonald, Ministry of Defence spokesman. McDonald said that the government had requisitioned more Merchant Navy vessels:

Among the ships being requisitioned is the QE2 … The QE2’s speed, size and facilities make her uniquely suited to carry substantial numbers of troops.43

In the Petty Officers’ Club the news was greeted with a cheer. Later, the message Cunard received from the government was released:

Your vessel Queen Elizabeth 2 is requisitioned by the Secretary of State for Trade under the Requisitioning of Ships Order 1982 and you are accordingly required to place her at his disposal forthwith. The Master should report for directions on the employment of the vessel to Mr R. Brooks, Department of Trade Sea Transport Officer, Southampton who will act as the principal link between the Master and all other civil and naval/military authorities until sailing.44

That afternoon the shop staff received a message from Ocean Trading, the owners of QE2’s shops’ concession, ordering them to box up stock ready for unloading in Southampton. They started packing items but soon encountered a problem: there was not enough packaging on board. The job of unloading so much stock at short notice had never been anticipated and the staff rapidly ran out of packing cases and boxes. They resorted to packing items in shopping carrier bags. Packing glassware and chinaware was particularly time consuming to avoid breakages. The staff also had to document the stock, manifesting everything for declaration to Her Majesty’s Customs. All these tasks were implemented while the shops remained open to serve passengers making last-minute purchases.

The firm Mecca Sportsman held the on-board casino concession. When news of the requisitioning came through, the staff were preparing to open the casino. Casino supervisor and dealer Maggie O’Connell recalls, ‘The ship was buzzing at the news when we received instructions to start dismantling everything in the casino. The camaraderie on board between all crew was a special experience.’ Maggie did not sail on the voyage to the South Atlantic but remembers:

I was proud to be on board and part of the team that was preparing the ship to be taken over. It was very emotional knowing some of our friends and colleagues would be joining the ship to go to the Falklands. We had many celebrations saying good luck and also worried about our precious QE2 and whether it would come back safely with all crew on board.

In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher noted that the requisitioning of QE2 was not planned at the start of the conflict, with the decision being taken only after the main task force had sailed. She wrote of a meeting of the war cabinet the Sunday before the ship was requisitioned:

… we approved reinforcements for the Falklands which would be taken there in the QE2. It surprised me a little that the need for reinforcements had not been clear sooner. I asked whether it was really necessary or advisable to use this great ship and to put so many people in it, but as soon as I was told that it was necessary to get them there in time I gave my agreement. I was always concerned that we would not have sufficient men and equipment when the time came for the final battle and I was repeatedly struck by the fact that even such highly qualified professionals as advised us often under-estimated the requirements.45

QE2 was due to dock that evening at the Queen Elizabeth II Passenger Terminal. As she steamed up the Channel with lights ablaze, there was considerable anticipation. The 3,203-mile voyage from Philadelphia to Southampton had been accomplished at an average speed of 27.19 knots. The ship was tied up alongside her berth at 0002 hours on 4 May 1982 and was immediately requisitioned for war service.

Two military jeeps were parked on the quayside as the ship docked. The military had clearly wasted no time in sending an advance party to make contact with the ship’s officers. QE2 was no longer a Cunard liner. She was now under the control of the government and became a civilian ‘Ship Taken Up From Trade’ (STUFT). The legal authority for requisitioning QE2 and other STUFT ships was the Requisitioning of Ships Order in Council that was issued on 4 April 1982. Cunard announced that all passengers booked on cancelled cruises would receive a full fare refund. Some of those who had booked cruises on QE2 had done so after their cruise booked on Canberra was cancelled.46

One of the first military officers to board after QE2’s arrival was Captain N.C.H. James RN, the Commanding Officer of Naval Party 1980 (NP1980). Naval parties are formed to perform specific functions in an operational environment. NP1980 became the Royal Navy presence on board QE2 for the duration the ship was involved in the conflict. Members of the party had duties which included helicopter flight deck operations, radio communications, defensive weapons and assisting on the Bridge. Supporting Captain James within NP1980 were his first lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander D.A.C. Poole RN, supply officer Lieutenant Commander B. Warlow RN, and Lieutenant Commander N.B. Shaw RN, who was responsible for flight operations. Major H. E. Affleck-Graves of the Royal Marines, an operations officer on board to instruct troops on amphibious landings, was also in NP1980. Captain James’s primary role would be to liaise with the military ashore and work closely with the master of QE2. In effect, he would have strategic control of the liner with the aim of protecting her and those on board from enemy attacks.

On boarding, Captain James was met at the gangway by Captain Hutcheson and escorted to captain’s quarters. There he was introduced to Captain Peter Jackson, who had just arrived on board from leave to take over command of the ship; Captain T.D. Ridley, the company’s nautical adviser; and Ralph Bahna, the president of Cunard Line, who had flown from the company’s head office in New York. Mr Bahna had expressed a deep concern about what was happening to ‘his’ ship. He said he hoped that the military would not be using the luxury penthouse suites. Captain James replied that the accommodation would be used for senior officers.

Captain Jackson was the most senior master in the fleet and it was assumed he would be in command for the forthcoming voyage. However, a less senior captain in Cunard volunteered to take command for the voyage, suggesting he was better suited as he was in List One of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) and trained in naval customs and strategy. List One of the RNR is a volunteer reserve force of serving Merchant Navy officers who are qualified to serve with the Royal Navy and can be called upon when requested by the Ministry of Defence. While not himself a member of the RNR, Captain Jackson had the support of his staff captain, Alexander J. Hutcheson, an RNR captain who had tasted action as a cadet during the Second World War.47 Captain Hutcheson was due to remain on board but as second in command in the position of staff captain. In a supporting role was Chief Officer Ronald W. Warwick, a lieutenant commander in the RNR. The debate about who was the best qualified to captain QE2 was an important one and an early decision needed to be made. Cunard’s fleet personnel management sought the opinion of Captain James RN, who said this was for Cunard to decide. Cunard then confirmed that Peter Jackson would remain in command of QE2 to the South Atlantic.

Captain Peter Jackson’s service in the Second World War made him qualified to serve as master during the forthcoming voyage.48 He had served in the Second World War as a junior officer with the Blue Funnel Line, helping ferry the British Expeditionary Force to Cherbourg. He later took part in the Norwegian campaign. In June 1940, he made several crossings of the English Channel, repatriating troops from Dunkirk, Brest and St-Jean-de-Luz. Two years later his ship Mentor (Captain Alexander Pope) was torpedoed north of Cuba by the German submarine U-106 (Kapitän Hermann Rasch). Jackson’s lifeboat was adrift for five days before being rescued by another Blue Funnel ship, the Antilochus. Peter Jackson was helped on board by one of Antilochus’s junior officers, Robert Arnott. By remarkable coincidence both these young officers would later captain QE2. Robert Arnott relates in his book Captain of the Queen:

Since that first meeting so many years ago, Peter Jackson and I have met many times and after hostilities ended, we both joined the Cunard Line. Much later, I took over command of Peter’s ship, Cunard Adventurer, so that he could join the Queen Elizabeth 2. That first meeting in 1942 was very much in both our thoughts as Peter handed over command to me in such different circumstances.49

Only three task force ship’s captains had Second World War experience, all of them of Cunard ships. The other two were Captain Michael Twomey of the Atlantic Causeway and Captain Ian North of Atlantic Conveyor.50 As well as Captain Peter Jackson and Staff Captain Alex Hutcheson, other QE2 volunteers for the South Atlantic voyage had served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Long-serving Cunard crew members waiter Phillip Ward and bedroom steward Edward Worsley, both of whom were in their sixties, had served on board the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Financial manager, Gerry Nolan, had also served at sea during the war but did not talk about his service. Purser Brian Vickers had seen service in the Pacific theatre. Herbert Thornton, a bedroom steward and long-serving Cunard employee, had served on board MV Fort Halket (Captain William Walker) when she was torpedoed on 6 August 1943.

5

Conversion to a Troopship

When QE2 docked on 4 May, at 0002 hours, there were no cranes available to unload packaged surplus stock items. The only way to unload the high-value shop stock was to walk it through the ship’s passageways and down the gangplank. Anthony Dance recalls walking off the ship with a large, sealed cardboard box full of luxury jewellery valued at approximately £3 million. He handed the box to his shoreside area manager, who deposited it in a duty-free, bonded warehouse. Later, despite the arrival of more packaging, it proved impossible to unload all the unrequired shop stock before the ship sailed. Expensive watches and perfumery remained on board when QE2 sailed.

Shortly after QE2 berthed, the ship’s chief cashier, Stephen Ward, was preparing to go on leave when he saw a group of military officers dressed in khaki in the midships lobby. They were gathered around a deck plan of QE2 spread out on the grand piano and seemingly oblivious to the curious glances from disembarking passengers heading for the gangway. Other military officers embarked throughout the day, requesting meeting rooms to plan the conversion of QE2 to a troopship. Hotel officer Terry Foskett escorted the American actor Larry Hagman down a lower-deck service gangway so that he and his family could avoid the press, who by now were gathering at the Two Deck passenger gangway. Passenger disembarkation was complete before noon.

While QE2 had been steaming along the south coast towards Southampton, news had come through that the Royal Navy submarine HMS Conqueror (Commander Christopher Wreford-Brown) had torpedoed the second largest ship in the Argentine Navy, ARA General Belgrano (Captain Hector Bonzo). This ship was previously the USS Phoenix and had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. General Belgrano sank with 323 sailors in the icy waters of the South Atlantic, with 772 survivors rescued from life rafts. Conqueror was the first nuclear submarine to sink a warship in combat. The attack led to Argentine naval forces withdrawing to their coastal waters, from which they rarely ventured after 2 May.

After the initial excitement about the requisitioning, the mood of QE2 hardened and became more serious. On 10 May the RN Type 42 destroyer, HMS Sheffield (Captain James Salt), was badly damaged by an Exocet missile fired from an Argentinian Super-Etendard aircraft and later foundered. Sheffield was the first British warship lost to enemy action since the Second World War. The war was heating up and some Cunard officers and crew became concerned with writing wills and setting their personal affairs in order.

QE2 was to depart for the South Atlantic as soon as possible. The eight-day period of conversion from liner to troopship was a busy one. Military advance parties, shoreside contractors, telecommunications experts, Cunard staff from Southampton, and Ministry of Defence officials were up and down the gangway at all hours of the day and night.

Chief Officer Ronald W. Warwick recalls this time as being incredibly busy, with the area outside his office resembling a doctor’s waiting room as people patiently waited to ask questions about what could be removed, what needed to stay and where things should be stowed.

Important discussions had to take place and decisions reached on a variety of matters including:

• structural alterations to enable the ship to support helicopter operations at sea

• the removal of equipment and stores not required

• where military equipment and stores could be safely stowed on board

• alterations to enable the ship to be refuelled at sea

• identifying which crew members would be required on the voyage

• safety measures to accommodate the extra number of souls

• protection of the fabric of the ship

• the monitoring of stability as extra weight was added to the ship

• the siting and installation of a secure communications system.