Ordeal By Exocet

HMS Glamorgan, Admiral Woodward's Flagship until Hermes' arrival in Ascension, was in the thick of the fighting throughout the war. Her role for most of the time was that of an expendable escort and she was to face the full wrath of the enemy - and the elements - in the South Atlantic. Incorporating vivid first-hand accounts written at the time, and illustrated with photographs, the book also portrays the daily life of an escort under wartime conditions and describes only too clearly the tension, fear, storm, cold, disaster and sorrow which were so close at hand, though incidents of humor and moments of elation were certainly not uncommon. New light is shed on the Belgrano affair and startling new facts are revealed about other incidents including the high level conduct of the war. There is a detailed account of the successful deception plan, Operation Tornado, and, unusually, the impact of the war on the families left at home. While attacking the enemy, Glamorgan faced missiles, bombs, shells and rockets. Personal accounts recall these attacks, and other operations including the Pebble Island raid. All the Exocet attacks on the Battle Group are included, culminating with the desperate fight to save the ship, which came perilously close to sinking. The aftermath and the traumatic stress experienced by those who lost shipmates bring home the gruesome reality of war. Written by one who experienced that reality first-hand, "Ordeal by Exocet" vividly recalls the war in the South Atlantic twenty years on and brings to light many aspects which were then unknown to an unsuspecting public.