MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Findings into the loss of HMS Sheffield become public

The findings of the Board of Inquiry into the loss of HMS Sheffield in 1982 during the Falkland Islands conflict have been made public, was announced by the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces.

"I am today publishing a copy of the findings of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) report into the loss of HMS SHEFFIELD during the Falklands conflict on the MOD's website (www.mod.uk). A copy of this paper has also been placed in the Library of the House.

The published documents include the Board's terms of reference, the then Commander in Chief FLEET's advice on the report and the Admiralty Board's response", announced Minister Adam Ingram.

The publication of these papers follows the conclusion of an internal review that was undertaken by my Department in response to several Requests for Information about the ship's loss under the Freedom of Information Act.

"The published documents have been redacted to ensure the Department's compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 98). Certain other information has also been withheld as its provision would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the Armed Forces", added Ingram.

It was also anticipated that other papers relating to the BOI report, including the post-attack narrative and analysis, and the Captain's Report on the incident will be published in two further phases before the end of the year.

However, "we will be withholding from publication copies of the witness statements that were taken by the Board, as we believe that the disclosure of this personal data would be unfair to the individuals concerned and would be contrary to DPA 98".