‘Abandon ship’ sorrow
BLAZING warship’s deck ‘white-hot’ – Birdham captain relives ordeal
HMS Sheffield’s captain flew by helicopter back over the stricken hulk of his once-proud warship in the South Atlantic, and relived the moment he was forced to order “abandon ship.”
When Captain James Salt, 42, of Birdham, near Chichester, flew over the fire-ravaged destroyer seven hours later, she was still ablaze - and he could see down into her engine room through the hole torn in her.
She was mortally wounded because the missile that hit her tore through two compartments - then exploded upwards and outwards, he said.
Last night, the Sheffield was reported to be still afloat, and her fires had subsided.
About abandoning ship, Captain Salt said: ‘It was my decision and I feel awful about it. But there was no alternative.
‘We could feel the heat of the deck through our shoes, the superstructure was steaming. Paint on the ship’s side was peeling off. The area where the missile penetrated the hull was white-hot,’ he said.
And he praised his crew, who remained calm and retained “common sense and careful thinking.’
He said: ‘The men were quite incredible. I have no doubt that the ship’s company saved themselves by their own sensible efforts.’
Captain Salt, married with two sons, said morale among the crew was at an incredibly high level, and team-work was “exceptional.’
The destroyer was abandoned on Tuesday after being hit by a missile in an Argentinian air raid on the Falklands task-force.