Concern for scientists
These are the headlines from The News on April 12, 1982.
Navy sets hands on supply ship
The Royal Navy has requisitioned another civilian vessel - the 9,000-ton North Sea supply ship, Stena Seaspread.
The move came as the Defence Ministry reported that Britain’s ‘military preparations continue according to plan’, and that there were no reports of Argentinian warships or auxiliaries inside the 200-mile “no go” zone thrown up around the disputed Falklands by Royal Navy submarines.
The Stena Seaspread, owned by Stena Atlantic of Aberdeen, is described as ‘designed for the North Sea and rugged in construction ideal for the South Atlantic at this time.’
Meanwhile, concern was growing today over the whereabouts of 13 scientists, who, with 22 Royal Marines, are missing after the Argentinian invasion of South Georgia.
The British Antarctic Survey says it has still not heard from the scientists, although reports that they had been taken from the island have not been officially confirmed.
Meanwhile, the deputy director of the Cambridgebased organization, Dr Ray Adie, said they heard yesterday from the remaining 15 of their party, including two Anglia TV film-makers.
“They are all fit and well and, as far as we know, they are continuing their work on the island,” said Dr Adie. “But we would still like to know where the other 13 scientists are.”
Meanwhile in Argentina, British journalist James Neilson, managing editor of English-language Buenos Aires Herald, has left Argentina temporarily after repeated threats on his life, the newspaper said today.
Distributors decided last week to boycott the daily, until the crisis with Britain is over.