Operation Journeyman Anniversary – Nearly Twenty Five years ago a major British military and political event took place in the South Atlantic, which has been largely overlooked in the history books.     Operation Journeyman saw a Royal Navy Task Force, deployed to the waters around South Georgia and the Falklands in November 1977 four and half years before the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in April 1982.   Fifty (50) Argentine “scientists” had occupied Southern Thule in the South Sandwich Islands and it was feared a wider Argentine invasion of other British Islands in the region might follow.

Operation Journeyman was conducted in intense secrecy. The first public mention of the operation was nearly five years later when the Foreign Secretary at the time (David Owen) suggested that similar prompt action could have averted the 1982 Falkland War.    The Operation Journeyman Task Force consisted of the Fleet Submarine DREADNOUGHT and four surface vessels.   The Frigates ALACRITY (Type 21) and PHOEBE (Leander) were supported by the Fleet Tanker RFA OLWEN and the Fleet Stores Ship RFA RESOURCE.

The Argentines rapidly became aware of the Task Force's presence but their forces remained on Thule, but the Prime Minister (James Callaghan) decided against the use of force to evict them but set up a 50 mile security zone and any ships entering would be told that they must identify themselves and state their plans.

The Rules of Engagement in 1977 make interesting reading ... "Commanding officers and aircraft captains are to respond to any aggression with tactful firmness and are to exhibit a determination to meet any escalation, though not to exceed that already carried out by the enemy.    All use of force must be governed by the principle of using only the minimum force necessary to achieve the aim.   .....  Such force must be used only until it was evident that the immediate aim is being achieved, and must in no way be retaliatory".   The submarine commander was told: "If you are attacked with [anti-submarine] weapons by [Argentine] forces, you are to surface or withdraw at high speed submerged, whichever will be of least risk to life."

The Foreign Secretary insisted that the mission was conducted in intense secrecy, even the crews did not know where they were going, other than they were being sent in exercise in the Atlantic,    The Argentine Government was privately warned by the UK that a nuclear submarine was in the area, but other countries were said to be unaware.   The "exclusion zone" (around the islands) became an issue Ministers fearing that it could be "politically escalatory, probably illegal and could set an unwelcome precedent", the matter was suitably fudged by Attorney General (Sam Silkin) who was only asked for his advice on the legal situation after the Task Force left.

At the time the Frigate PHOEBE was on a goodwill visit to Antwerp, having just completed a Joint Maritime Course Exercise off the north of Scotland, when a Top Secret signal was received ordering the ship to sail as soon as all crew had been recalled from shore, and that all the preparations necessary to store for war on our arrival in Plymouth should be put out in hand, the destination was top secret.

Keeping the DREADNOUGHT supplied was problematical as routine dictated that the submarine was only allowed to surface for about five (5) minutes a week, during which time the WASP helicopter from one of the Frigates had to lower supplies and deliver and collect the laundryin what was a very short space of time  (the PHOEBE had a Chinese laundry crew on board).      On one occasion the WASP helicopter was hovering over the conning tower of the DREADNOUGHT having just dropped off the laundry when a huge swell lifted the submarine just as the pilot was lowering the aircraft to pick up the next batch of washing.   The two collided and the forward starboard wheel of the helicopter became lodged in the conning tower.    The duty Flight Deck Officer on the PHOEBE later reported the conversation going on between the pilot and the Captain on the bridge.    The Captain informed the pilot that the submarine would have to submerge in one minute so he would need to detach himself somehow.   “Roger” came the calm reply. The next thing he heard on the radio was the pilot, singing “Three wheels on my wagon” as he turned to approach the ship to land on the heaving deck of the frigate, having pulled full power on the aircraft and left the wheel firmly lodged in the submarines conning tower.     With the help of a hatch cover and some coconut matting and considerable skill the helicopter managed to land safely but it was a close run thing.  

By mid-February 1978 the Argentine scientists had apparently gone and their base had been closed, so the Task Force which had spent just over three and a half months continuously at sea departed.   Thus success had attended the venture and a War had been averted just by the exercise the traditional "presence" of the Royal Navy in the area.

My thanks to Chris Cole, Commander RN (Retired) who was the Supply Officer of the PHOEBE for much of the above   It is interesting to note that the Prime Minister was James Callaghan at the time had been a serving Naval Officer.   He had joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve as an Ordinary Seaman in 1942 and  served in the East Indies Fleet, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in April 1944.   Medical examination revealed that he was suffering from tuberculosis, and on recovery, he was assigned to duties with the Japanese section of the Admiralty (in Whitehall) and wrote a service manual for the Royal Navy “The Enemy Japan”.     Whilst on leave, Jim Callaghan was selected as a Parliamentary candidate, but he returned to naval service, serving in the Indian Ocean on the Battleship QUEEN ELIZABETH.    In 1945 his naval career was curtailed as after “VE” day along with other prospective candidates he returned to the United Kingdom to stand in the general election.

David Owen is of course still an active member of the House of Lords and memorably was the first politician to call for an "exclusion zone" when the Arab Spring took hold in Libya in 2011.

Let us hope that the younger politicians now in charge of a our maritime power can be drawn lessons from the work of the Operation Journeyman Task Force and subsequent events.  Will Operation Journeyman be commemorated ?    Don’t hold your breath.