SteveJM2009 has added a photo to the pool:
Today, 1th June 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands. The fighting cost the lives of 255 British servicemen, three Falkland Islanders and 655 Argentinians.The 74-day occupation of the remote British Overseas Territory ended on June 14 1982 when the Argentinian commander surrendered to the British at Port Stanley.
RFA Sir Tristram L3505 was a Landing Ship Logistics of the Round Table class. She was launched in 1966, and accepted into British Army service in 1967. As with others of her class, she was taken over by the Royal Navy in 1970. The ship saw service in the Falklands War of 1982, and was badly damaged at Fitzroy on 8 June, alongside the Sir Galahad, when the decks were strafed and two crew were killed. A large bomb also smashed through the deck, but failed to explode immediately, allowing the surviving crew to be evacuated. Following the explosion, Sir Tristram was abandoned. See the following photo of her damage: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/RFA_Sir_Trist...
After the war the hulk was re-floated and towed to Stanley, where she was used as an accommodation ship until 1984. Sir Tristram was then returned to the United Kingdom on a heavy lift ship and extensively rebuilt.
Sir Tristram then re-entered active service in 1985, and saw service in the Gulf War, and the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. She also supported relief operations for Hurricane Mitch off Central America. In 2000 the ship deployed to Sierra Leone in support of British operations there, followed by a cruise to the Baltic Sea in support of MCMVs. Early 2001 saw Sir Tristram return to Sierra Leone to take over from Sir Percivale as the ship supporting British forces ashore there. In 2003 the ship deployed as part of the largest British fleet for 20 years in support of the invasion of Iraq.
The ship was decommissioned on 17 December 2005, but is now moored in Portland Harbour, Dorset and is used for 'special' training purposes.
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