Falklands war heroine returns home but faces inglorious end '“ Nostalgia

Seen passing South Railway Jetty at the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour is HMS Glamorgan. She was arriving home from the Falklands war in 1982.Â
HMS Glamorgan returns home to Portsmouth after the Falklands war with the company of United States destroyer Charles Adams saluting her. Picture: PRDHSHMS Glamorgan returns home to Portsmouth after the Falklands war with the company of United States destroyer Charles Adams saluting her. Picture: PRDHS
HMS Glamorgan returns home to Portsmouth after the Falklands war with the company of United States destroyer Charles Adams saluting her. Picture: PRDHS

Glamorgan, a County-class destroyer had been on exercise off Gibraltar and was sent to the Falklands as flagship to Admiral Sandy Woodward until he transferred his flag to the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes.

Near the end of the campaign, on Saturday, June 12, 1982, and two days before the Argentine surrender,  Glamorgan was hit on the port side by an Exocet missile. The result was the loss of 14 of Glamorgan's sailors. She arrived home in Portsmouth on July 10, 1982  after continuous sea time of 104 days.

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In the foreground is the United States destroyer Charles Adams on a visit to the UK. Her company are saluting Glamorgan.

Smart girls on a day out.  Hilda, Olive, Ivy, Violet and their mother Emily.  Photo: Mike SpencerSmart girls on a day out.  Hilda, Olive, Ivy, Violet and their mother Emily.  Photo: Mike Spencer
Smart girls on a day out. Hilda, Olive, Ivy, Violet and their mother Emily. Photo: Mike Spencer

She had an inglorious end. She was sold to Chile in 1986 and renamed Alimirante Latorre. Decommissioned in 1998, Glamorgan sank in the Pacific Ocean on April 11, 2005, while under tow to be broken up.

'¢Â When I first saw the photograph on the right I immediately thought of the late Deanna Durban film Three Smart Girls.

It was sent in by Mike Spencer and the young girl on the left, Hilda, would become his mother.

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The next three women are her sisters Olive, Ivy and Violet.  Their mother Emily is on the right.

Seen from the training ship Fouydroyant the ship in the distance turns out to be battleship HMS Vanguard.Seen from the training ship Fouydroyant the ship in the distance turns out to be battleship HMS Vanguard.
Seen from the training ship Fouydroyant the ship in the distance turns out to be battleship HMS Vanguard.

Mike tells me the location is in Ferry Gardens, Gosport, about 1938.

'¢Â Last week I published a picture taken from the deck of the training ship Foudroyant moored in Portsmouth Harbour.  In the distance was a ship looking like an aircraft carrier which, I was informed by Andy August, was HMS Centaur. Not so says Deryck Swetnam who reckons it was the battleship HMS Vanguard.

I enlarged the photograph and although blurred it does indeed appear to be Vanguard outboard of or passing an aircraft carrier.

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'¢ Last week I published a photograph taken from Bradford Road looking towards Victoria Road North in the hope it would be Victoria Crescent.

The former home of Dr Una Mulvaney. Picture: Robert Pragnell.The former home of Dr Una Mulvaney. Picture: Robert Pragnell.
The former home of Dr Una Mulvaney. Picture: Robert Pragnell.

It was not, but the photograph did show a good view of the former home and surgery in Victoria Road North of Portsmouth saviour during the blitz of the Second World War, Dr Una Mulvaney. 

Born in Portsmouth she attended Durham University and returned to the city to practice. A block of flats, Mulvaney Court, has been named after her in Fratton. She later moved to Montgomerie Road

The house was later the home to solicitors Vernon Stokes who later became the chairman of Portsmouth Football Club.