Page 76 - Demo

76 %u2018The Survivor%u2019, ZA718/%u2018BN%u2019, seen here on a wintery Port Stanleyrunway in June 1982.Sadly, my next meeting with Commodore Clapp was when heinformed me that the Conveyor had been struck by an Exocet. Thefollowing day, as we sat on the hillside, with our ration packs, our singlesurvivor, BN, flew into the sound and landed among us.I selected an operating and support team for this one aircraft andthinned out the remainder aboard the Europic Ferry to await furtherinstructions.We never did get any off-base field equipment and, up until themoment we left in August, we were located in the settlement buildings ofPort San Carlos. We lived on straight composite rations until well intoJuly and, despite many promises made by a series of communicationsofficers, continued to receive tasking and communicated with higherformations through a hand held HF radio which formally belonged to theRoyal Marines and for which my deputy had swapped a pair of flyinggloves.It would have worked, and it nearly did work. Why? Because of thequality of my people and their training. They were simply fantastic. Westarted from nothing and ended with practically nothing, and all in all itwas a great opportunity wasted. In 1982 few people understood thecapability of the Chinook, four of which would have made a significantimpact on the campaign. Fortunately, the mistake has not been repeated,as Chinook has always been a first choice aircraft since then.