A war of words has broken out over a book that claims the Bluff Cove disaster in the Falklands was “avoidable”.
Rear Admiral Jeremy Larken, captain of HMS Fearless, has criticised former Welsh Guards officer-turned-author Crispin Black, who survived the attack.
His book about the 1982 tragedy, which killed 56 servicemen and injured hundreds more, is due out this month.
Mr Black, 63, claims the book – entitled Too Thin for a Shroud – throws new light on the disaster, which recently released documents show was down to “poor planning and communication by senior Royal Navy officers”.
But RAdm Larken, 84, hit back and said the Welsh should never have been sent to fight in the first place because they were “unprepared for combat”.
In emails sent to Mr Black’s publisher, RAdm Larken claimed the Welsh were an unprofessional and poorly led unit responsible for “pilfering” on his ship.
He also said their contribution to the campaign was “deeply flawed”.
The Welsh Guards lost 32 soldiers and dozens more were seriously injured following air attacks on Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships Sir Tristram and Sir Galahad on June 8, 1982.
It remains the largest loss of life in a single enemy attack since the Second World War. In his book, Mr Black shares new evidence from documents released to the National Archives in Kew, South West London. He argues the Welsh Guards were poorly treated by senior commanders and given half the rations of the Paras and Royal Marines.
His claims have provoked uproar among former senior Royal Navy and Royal Marines officers.
In one email, RAdm Larken, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Order, said: “Your extraordinary misrepresentation of the events… will, unhappily, give voice to many who have remained silent about their unhappy experiences with your battalion.”
In another, he wrote: “The root cause of the tragedy of the Welsh Guards battalion remains that it was placed in a position for which it was not prepared... These shortcomings accounted for the immediate circumstances of the Sir Galahad disaster.”
The Welsh Guards regimental headquarters is distributing more than 100 free copies of Mr Black’s book to veterans who served in the conflict. Many veterans believe they have been wrongly blamed for the failures of others and have described the book
as a “catharsis” .
Mr Black said: “Admiral Larken was making deeply critical comments about my book before he had even read it.
“The charge of factual inaccuracy unfortunately applies firmly to himself.
“I find it incomprehensible that an Admiral who won a DSO in the Falklands should try to undermine the first book dedicated to the 8th of June.”
Meanwhile, Argentina pulled out of a deal this week to “agree to disagree” over sovereignty of the Falklands that has stood since 2016 – and pushed for fresh talks.
But British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “The Falkland Islands are British. Islanders have the right to decide their own future.
“They have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory.”
