HMS Hermes was a conventional British aircraft carrier and the last of the Centaur class.. Hermes was in service with the Royal Navy from 1959 until 1984, and she served as the flagship of the British forces during the 1982 Falklands War.. THE Falklands War has been laid bare in these incredible images taken during and after the brief but bloody conflict. The ship will be dismantled in India after having been in commission since 1959 and serving in multiple conflicts until she was retired in the UK in 1984. Type 22 Frigate HMS Broadsword alongside HMS Hermes during the Falklands War, 1982. Served with Naval Public Affairs Branch, later Media Relations … Type 22 Frigate HMS Broadsword alongside HMS Hermes during the Falklands War, 1982. British officer served as Instructor Officer on board HMS Hermes during Falklands War, 1982. General Johnny Rickett gives us a personal retrospective on his experience as an officer in the Falklands War of 1982. HMS Hermes left Portsmouth to try to retake the Falklands from the Argentines, setting out on the long journey just three days after the invasion had taken place. English: Type 22 Frigate HMS Broadsword alongside HMS Hermes during the Falklands War, 1982 Return of the 'Task Force' from the Falklands War On 21st July 1982, after serving for three months in the South Atlantic, the vintage aircraft carrier HMS Hermes [R12] - flagship of the Royal Navy 'Task Force' made a triumphant return to the Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth. In early April of that year Argentina invaded this British overseas territory 8,000 miles from the UK. We asked him his view on British air operations during the 1982 war in which he fought. However, the Falklands War then started. If you could have changed one thing about British air operations in the Falklands what would… The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) was a 10-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.The result of the war was a British victory. Commander Nigel David 'Sharkey' Ward, DSC, AFC is a retired British Royal Navy officer who commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron during the Falklands War. The ship was greeted by a huge flotilla of small vessels. HMS HERMES No.800 - 12 Sea Harriers [Lt Cmdr A D Auld (awarded DSC) RN] No.826 - 9 Sea King HAS.5's [Lt Cmdr D J S Squier (AFC) RN] HMS INVINCIBLE No.801 - 8 Sea Harriers [Cmdr N D Ward (DSC) AFC RN] No.820 - 11 Sea King HAS.5's [Lt Cmdr R J S Wykes-Sneyd (AFC) RN : RN Warships on Station. In 1982, the ship should have been decommissioned after a defence review which aimed to make the Royal Navy considerably smaller. THE Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the HMS Hermes, the flagship of the 1982 Falklands War and longest serving aircraft carrier in history, is to be scrapped.