Post by Salem6 on Dec 6, 2003 0:18:10 GMT
Some British naval vessels were sent to fight the 1982 Falklands War carrying nuclear weapons, it has been confirmed.
The Ministry of Defence said a decision not to use the weapons was made before the ships left port.
The MoD has not said if HMS Sheffield was carrying nuclear arms
However, they were kept on board so the battle group could set sail from the UK as quickly as possible.
Rumours the weapons were on board Royal Navy ships first surfaced after the war with Argentina ended, but until now they have never been verified.
In fact the weapons - reportedly depth charges - never reached the combat zone as they were removed on the journey and transferred to ships returning to the UK.
Seven containers carrying the weapons were lightly damaged when transferred from ship to ship, the ministry said.
Delay
Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic on 2 April 1982.
In response, Britain sent a number of warships, many of which routinely carried nuclear weapons at the time.
The MoD spokesman said removing the weapons was a 36-hour operation, a delay that would have held up the task force for too long.
Reuters news agency quoted a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman as saying the weapons were type WE177 nuclear depth charges.
"They never entered the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands or any South American country," Reuters quoted the spokesman as saying.
The Argentinean Defence Minister, José Pampuro, has expressed concern over the admission and said his country was seeking further information from the British Government.
An MoD spokesman told BBC News Online the admission was made "at the request of a journalist under an 'open government' code of practice".
The Ministry of Defence said a decision not to use the weapons was made before the ships left port.
The MoD has not said if HMS Sheffield was carrying nuclear arms
However, they were kept on board so the battle group could set sail from the UK as quickly as possible.
Rumours the weapons were on board Royal Navy ships first surfaced after the war with Argentina ended, but until now they have never been verified.
In fact the weapons - reportedly depth charges - never reached the combat zone as they were removed on the journey and transferred to ships returning to the UK.
Seven containers carrying the weapons were lightly damaged when transferred from ship to ship, the ministry said.
Delay
Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic on 2 April 1982.
In response, Britain sent a number of warships, many of which routinely carried nuclear weapons at the time.
The MoD spokesman said removing the weapons was a 36-hour operation, a delay that would have held up the task force for too long.
Reuters news agency quoted a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman as saying the weapons were type WE177 nuclear depth charges.
"They never entered the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands or any South American country," Reuters quoted the spokesman as saying.
The Argentinean Defence Minister, José Pampuro, has expressed concern over the admission and said his country was seeking further information from the British Government.
An MoD spokesman told BBC News Online the admission was made "at the request of a journalist under an 'open government' code of practice".