The veteran Issue 6

Ed Morris HMS Raleigh (Front row, Left) aged 16
Proposed international fleet:
Hermes served as one of four Royal Navy
strike carriers mainly in the Indian Ocean
area until 1970. She could have seen action
against the Egyptians when Egypt closed off
the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping in May
1967 when the UK and US contemplated
forming an international fleet to open the
straits with force if necessary, but the idea
never materialised.
(after some of the helicopters were
dispersed to other ships) as well as a troop
of Special Air Service (SAS) and Royal
Marines. As she was the RN's largest
carrier, she was considered too valuable to
risk close into the Falklands, due to the
possibility of Argentine air force attacks. Her
Harriers therefore operated at the limit of
their endurance radius, but were very
successful in keeping the enemy aircraft at
bay.
Falklands War:
Hermes was due to be decommissioned in
1982 after a 1981 defence review (that would
have made the Royal Navy considerably
smaller) by the British government, but when
the Falklands War broke out, she was made
the flagship of the British forces, setting sail
for the South Atlantic just three days after the
Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands.
She sailed for the Falklands with an airgroup
of 12 Sea Harrier FRS1 attack aircraft of the
Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, and 18 Sea King
helicopters. A few weeks after sailing, more
aircraft were flown or transported via other
ships to replace some losses and augment
the task force. Hermes's airgroup grew to 16
Sea Harriers, 10 Hawker Siddeley Harrier
GR3s of the Royal Air Force, and 10 Sea
Kings
Sea Harrier FRS Mk1
Air group at the height of the Falklands Conflict:
16 Sea Harrier FRS.1 Fighters
10 Sea King HAS. Helicopters
No. 1 Squadron RAF - 10 Harrier GR.3
After the Falklands War:
After her return home from the Falklands
conflict Hermes entered into a much
needed 4-month refit to her propulsion and
electrical systems, as well as a thorough
cleaning and repainting. When this was
completed in November 1982, she
embarked stores and performed work-ups
exercises. She then took part in NATO
exercises in the North Atlantic, and the
Mediterranean Sea as a commando carrier
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