Sir Sandy Woodward | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Woodward in 2012 | |
| Nicknames | Sandy Spock |
| Born | (1932-05-01)1 May 1932 Marazion, Cornwall |
| Died | 4 August 2013(2013-08-04) (aged 81) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1946–1989 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Tireless HMS Grampus HMS Warspite HMS Sheffield Flag Officer First Flotilla Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command |
| Battles / wars | Falklands War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
AdmiralSir John Forster "Sandy"Woodward,GBE, KCB (1 May 1932 – 4 August 2013) was a seniorRoyal Navy officer who commanded the Task Force of theFalklands War.
Woodward was born on 1 May 1932 atMarazion,[1] nearPenzance,Cornwall, to a bank clerk. He was educated atStubbington House School,preparatory school inStubbington, Hampshire. He then continued his education at theBritannia Royal Naval College inDartmouth, Devon.[2]
On graduation from the Royal Naval College Dartmouth Woodward joined theRoyal Navy in 1946.[3] He became asubmariner in 1954, and was promoted to lieutenant that May.[3][4] In 1960 he passed the Royal Navy's rigorousSubmarine Command Course known asThe Perisher,[5] and received his first command, theT-class submarineHMSTireless.[3] Promoted to lieutenant-commander in May 1962,[6] he then commandedHMSGrampus[3] before becoming the second in command of the nuclear fleet submarineHMSValiant.[3] In 1967, he was promoted tocommander and became the Instructor (known asTeacher) of The Perisher Course. He took command ofHMSWarspite in December 1969.[3] He was promoted to the rank ofcaptain in 1972.[3] In 1974, he became Captain of Submarine Training and in 1976 he took command ofHMSSheffield.[3]
He became Head of Naval Plans in theMinistry of Defence in 1978.[3] In July 1981, he was promoted torear admiral and appointed asFlag Officer First Flotilla.[3]
In 1982, he commandedHMSHermes aircraft carrier group, Task Group 317.8, in theFalklands War.[3] The Commander-in-Chief FleetAdmiral Sir John Fieldhouse, served as the Task Force commander, CTF-317. The task group containing the amphibious ships which launched the invasion TG 317.0 was commanded by CommodoreMichael Clapp, with Task Group 317.1 being the landing force itself.
He worked out the timetable for the campaign, starting from the end and working to the start. Knowing that the Argentine forces had to be defeated before theSouthern Hemisphere winter made conditions too bad, he set a latest date by which the land forces had to be ashore, that in turn set a latest date by which control of the air had to be achieved, and so on.[7]
He was based aboard the Hermes. He left the detailed management of the air war to the Hermes' operations room whilst he kept an eye on it from his own operations room. According to 801 squadron's commander account, he was a submarines' man and, probably influenced by the 800 squadron aboard the Hermes, had no accurate knowledge of the performances of the radar of the Sea Harrier. All this would be detrimental in part to the air defense of the Task Group.[8]
Possibly the best known single incident was thesinking of the ARAGeneral Belgrano. He knew thatGeneral Belgrano, and particularly herExocet-armed escorts, were a threat to the task force and he ordered that she be sunk.[9] Admiral SirGeorge Zambellas credited "Woodward's inspirational leadership and tactical acumen ... [as] a major factor in shaping the success of the British forces in the South Atlantic".[10]
Woodward was knighted for his services in the conflict.[11] He wrote a book entitledOne Hundred Days, co-authored byPatrick Robinson, describing his Falklands experiences.
In 1983, Woodward was appointedFlag Officer Submarines andNATO Commander Submarines Eastern Atlantic.[3] In 1984, he was promoted tovice admiral, and in 1985 he wasDeputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments).[3] In 1987, he was promoted toadmiral.[12] That year he also served, asCommander-in-Chief Naval Home Command[3] and FlagAide-de-Camp to theQueen. Woodward retired in 1989.
The first edition of Woodward's memoirs was published in 1992. They were well received and were updated in 2003 and 2012 with updated recollections as well as responses to the memoirs and responses made by CommodoreMichael Clapp.[13] In his later life Woodward wrote various opinion pieces for British newspapers regarding defence matters, particularly theStrategic Defence and Security Review.[14]
He died of heart failure in his 82nd year on 4 August 2013 atBosham,West Sussex.[2][15][16][17] A memorial service was held for him atChichester Cathedral on 14 November 2013, with Admiral SirGeorge Zambellas representing the Queen.[18]
Woodward married Charlotte McMurtrie in 1960, the marriage producing a son and a daughter. Lady Woodward died in 2022.[19]
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On 11 October 1982, Woodward was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 'in recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic'.[11] In the1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).[20]
| Ribbon | Details | Year awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire | 1989 |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath | 1982 |
| South Atlantic Medal (withrosette) | 1982 |
| Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | 1977 |
"It's very simple. There was the Belgrano and two destroyers armed with Exocet missiles milling around in the southern ocean." "I know from experience that while they were within 200 miles of our ships, they could have us overnight. So I wanted them removed, didn't I?"
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Flag Officer Submarines 1983–1984 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by New Post | Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) 1985–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command 1987–1989 | Succeeded by |
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