Encontré un enlace con las memorias de un desactivador de explosivos británico. Muy interesante. Estuvo en San Carlos, presenció varios raids, y por eso lo pongo aquí, retornó junto al Invincible el 30 de mayo, coincidiendo con el raid conjunto de SUE+A-4C. Aunque en sus memorias hay imprecisiones y errores en nombres de buques o fechas en que fueron atacados, en concreto en este raid da un dato interesante. En el Invincible lanzaron cohetes de chaff. Lo que era norma en todos los buques de la Task Force cuando se daba una alerta de raid aéreo. Os pongo el enlace y extraigo sus palabras sobre ese día y el siguiente, en el que menciona el dato del reclamo argentino. se supone que sus palabras son un diario, por lo que cabe suponer se escribieron en el día o poco después:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/6741997.stm
SUNDAY 30 MAY 1982
Went to sea in the middle of the night, woke up expecting to be in Bomb Alley.
Gone to do an RAS (replenishment at sea) with RFAs [Royal Fleet Auxiliaries] and
join up with the Invincible and Exeter.
Nice to be away from Bomb Alley, we thought, we'll get a restful night's sleep. Well, that's what we thought anyway.
About 0100, I was half way up the vehicle ramp, on my way to the helo pad.
Three rockets flew overhead.
Everyone dived under tables
They make a deafening noise. I and everyone else hit the deck,
for the bang, it didn't come. Over the tannoy came "we have just picked up a single sweep from a super standards radar, they are they horrors that carry Exocet.
The rockets were ours fired from the bridge; they exploded in a pattern around us and dropped millions of pieces of silver paper.
The Exocet is meant to go for them instead of us.
I have my doubts about this theory. It was a false alarm.
But managed to get us and everyone else worrying about the Exocet.
About 2145, some of the ship's company was watching Dirty Harry Crazy Larry on film.
Those bloody rockets went off again.
It worked again, everyone dived under the tables.
This time Exocet had been fired toward the three ships, when two miles away, this thing picks out its own targets.
Action stations, anti-flash, close all red openings etc.
One of us was to be hit.
You can see fright in people
After the Standard had fired its Exocet, the Exeter shot her down with sea dart.
Then the arrow opened up with her four to five guns on the missile and two or more sea darts were fired from Exeter. One of them hit the Exocet, both claim it of course.
All this was done by Radar of course. Of course, of course!
The two Skyhawkers that exoceted the Standard were chased off by Harriers.
It's weird, sat
to hear either a bang or something over the tannoy.
You can see fright in people.
We've decided we prefer Bomb Alley.
A diver departing for Wireless Ridge
At least we know what to expect and you can swim to the shore if need be.
Exocet frightens me more, I think.
Out here, we have sweep stakes on, that it'll be Exocet or torpedo tonight.
Bomb Alley in the morning.
What a thing to look forward to.
On a big downer all day, tooth has stopped me from talking, to everyone else's delight, I'm sure
Hacked off with it all and can see no quick end.
Home please!
MONDAY 31 MAY 1982
Bank holiday, so what!
Wish I was in a traffic jam.
Wake up in Bomb Alley.
It doesn't get light until about 1200, then gets dark around 1900.
The Argies, this morning claimed the Invincible was hit and ablaze because of an attack last night.
Never take my clothes off when going to bed now, even sleep with my boots on
They couldn't have known the missile was shot down until we said it on the news today.
The quietest day yet. A couple of the old "air raid warning reds" but saw nothing.
Heard on the news they're rolling bombs out of the back of Hercules. They've been using Hercs to refuel their planes in the air, we think.
Never take my clothes off when going to bed now, even sleep with my boots on.
Can hear my feet humming at night.
Un testimonio más de alguien que estuvo cerca. Es interesante ver las percepciones, aunque muchas sean erróneas a mi juicio (por ejemplo nombra al Arrow para referirse a la Avenger). Interesante la falsa alarma también (los ingleses cuentan muchas de estas durante la campaña).
Saludos