MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands war vessel in which Argentina surrendered South Georgia, to the scrap yard
HMS Plymouth was one of the first to arrive to the South Atlantic and later to the Falklands, where she suffered damage during San Carlos landings 
Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Astiz, who was in charge of the Argentine garrison, signed the surrender document in HMS Plymouth's wardroom. The Royal Navy man-o-war on which Argentina formally surrendered the island of South Georgia during the 1982 Falklands War began its final journey on Wednesday before being scrapped. HMS Plymouth could not be saved despite years of attempts to find a permanent home for the frigate.
The ship, which entered naval service in 1961, was decommissioned in 1988. Peel Ports, which owns the dock where the frigate has languished rusting for years, said they had no “practical choice” other than to scrap the vessel.
Under tow, it sailed out of Birkenhead, northwest England on Wednesday, past the familiar landmarks of Liverpool on the other side of the River Mersey estuary. Its destination is not known.
The ship was one of the first to arrive in the South Atlantic Ocean after Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, both British possessions.
The frigate provided gunfire support as British forces retook the island of South Georgia. Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Astiz, who was in charge of the Argentine garrison, signed the surrender document in HMS Plymouth's wardroom.
Astiz in 2011 was sentenced to life in prison for torture, murder and rights abuses committed under the military dictatorship, 1976/1983.
Acting as an escort providing cover, the ship then became the first to enter San Carlos Water, where British forces landed on East Falkland, where it was attacked and hit by Argentine fighter jets.
The Historic Warships Preservation Trust rented a berth for the ship in 1990 but when it went into liquidation in 2006, it became, by default, the responsibility of Peel Ports. The city of Plymouth tried to buy the ship in 2007 but could not find a suitable berth.
“We are very sympathetic to the historical significance of the vessel but no public or private body has come forward with a feasible plan to maintain, restore or remove her during the past seven years,” Peel Ports said in a statement.
”The group feels, reluctantly, we have no practical choice but to dispose of her responsibly.
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Read all commentsOff to the scrapyard but still 10 times better than anything Argentina has!
Aug 21st, 2014 - 08:46 am +1@ 1
Aug 21st, 2014 - 11:40 am +1Damn! You beat me to it. :o)
I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed. Everybody remember the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939? Where did the badly-damaged HMS Exeter sail to for emergency repairs? Where was HMS Cumberland refitting before departing to steam at full speed for 36 hours to join Force G (South American Cruiser Squadron)? The correct answer is.....the Falkland Islands. Further back there was the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914. As indicated in the article, HMS Plymouth (F126) played a not insignificant role during the Falklands War.
Aug 21st, 2014 - 02:49 pm 0One might have hoped that the Falkland Islands could have found a place for her. Although the British press show some unflattering pictures of her current state, might it not have been within the bounds of possibility for such a vessel to be towed to the Falklands?
Once there, and with the assistance of the Royal Navy, might it not have been possible to refurbish her? Placed in a suitable position, with Royal Navy gun crews, might she not have added to local firepower? And, if she could be restored to navigable state, might she not become the first vessel of the Royal Falklands Navy?
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