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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Reagan planned to loan Brits the USS Iwo Jima |
| 2012-07-11 |
| Ronald Reagan made secret plans to loan Britain a U.S. warship if she lost an aircraft carrier during the Falklands War, it has emerged. The then-president was prepared to support Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher despite the U.S. being officially neutral during the 1982 conflict. The stunning revelation was made by John Lehman, the former U.S. Secretary of the Navy, to the U.S. Naval Institute on Tuesday. Mr Reagan would have loaned Britain the use of the amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes, which the Royal Navy had deployed to defend the islands from Argentinian forces. Mr Lehman said that he formulated the plans to stand behind Mrs Thatcher with Secretary of Defence Caspar Weinberger following a British request. Mr Reagan is said to have approved their proposal without hesitation, telling Mr Lehman: 'Give Maggie everything she needs to get on with it.' The plans were put together in complete secrecy. Mr Lehman said: 'We would leave the State Department, except for [Secretary of State Al] Haig, out of it. 'As in most of the requests from the Brits at the time, it was an informal request on a "what if" basis, Navy to Navy.' Both HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes were equipped to handle five vertical take-off Sea Harriers armed with American Sidewinder missiles. These specifications made the USS Iwo Jima an ideal replacement as, although primarily a helicopter carrier, it was able to operate the U.S. version of the Sea Harrier. It is likely that the ship would have been manned by a mix of retired seamen and privately contracted Americans familiar with the ship's operating systems. Admiral James 'Ace' Lyson, commander of the U.S. Second Fleet in 1982, helped plan the possible deployment of a U.S. ship in the South Atlantic. Now retired, he said: 'We decided that the USS Iwo Jima would be the ship that would be the easiest for the British to operate and would make for a smooth transfer. 'We also identified "contract advisors" who would be on board to help the British with some of the systems.' |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #13 IIRC the ATLANTIC CONVEYOR was converted to carry a couple of RN Harriers - what in WW2 were labeled as "Merchant Aircraft Carriers" for the air, anti-sub defense or support of organz Allied convoys in the ATO. Once it became clear that a shooting war between the UK + Argies was inevitable, the US' priority became making sure NATO principal UK emerged victorious ASAP, albeit at minimal losses AMAP to the Argies, due to the then-Soviet threat [ Western Europe + Afghanistan + Africa]. This made an active USN Carrier [wid non-USN Crews] paramount, NOT a MARAD RR/IFR vessel. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-07-11 20:23 |
| #12 Raider, they had backup. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/nov/22/books.france Military operations are about risk management while pursuing the intended goal. Did the British send one carrier? No, they sent two. Did they make a deal with the U.S. to get a third if needed? Yes. Did they send one nuke submarine south? No, they sent a bunch. Could they at any time nuke everyone? Yes. The Argentinians were fools to fight. They were doomed to lose. And the better they fought the more horrible the forces would have been to crush them. Thank God for the perfidy of the French, which may have saved the lives of millions. |
| Posted by: rammer 2012-07-11 19:56 |
| #11 There were plans to convert merchant ships to sort-of carriers, but they were just that- plans. As it was, there were enough issues dealing with the few merchants that were requistioned. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2012-07-11 18:39 |
| #10 Raider, yes. They really took a chance. Which is why when the Gnrl Belgrano was in the sites they took the shot despite it being outside the UKs declared exclusion zone. Plan b was probably (this is a guess) to land Harriers on the Falklands and attack more directly than intended to secure a runway there to bring in aviation fuel. |
| Posted by: Rjschwarz 2012-07-11 16:58 |
| #9 "Mr Reagan would have loaned Britain the use of the amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima should harm have come to either HMS Invincible or HMS Hermes, which the Royal Navy had deployed to defend the islands from Argentinian forces." So ... if the British had lost just one of these ships - they had no backup? None?? |
| Posted by: Raider 2012-07-11 16:34 |
| #8 dad reminded me about the first warship the US gave Taiwan. Before their navy could secure it mobs stole all the brass and copper out of it. The PI today is in even worse shape. Perhaps ultra-lights would be a better gift? |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2012-07-11 15:34 |
| #7 Not saying that would slow the President's decision making process an iota. Just saying. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2012-07-11 14:44 |
| #6 Takes alot to run a carrier. The Iwo Jima was close to what the Brits had at the time. If the Argies got the Reagan they probably couldn't get it out of port without a full american crew. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2012-07-11 14:43 |
| #5 Not a bad thought but the PI needs, more than even the ships or planes, the training to handle same. I don't doubt the intelligence or bravery of the average Filipino solider or sailor, but one doesn't create a modern military overnight. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-07-11 12:51 |
| #4 Possibly the same thing will happen with the PI. 'Loan' them aging vessels to get them out of DoD inventory as a operational cost reduction, then charge the PI for upgrades, which will be paid for thru State Dept. aid programs. Simple double entry bookkeeping. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2012-07-11 12:02 |
| #3 State Department, an unregistered foreign lobbyist. The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) was enacted in 1938. FARA is a disclosure statute that requires persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities. Disclosure of the required information facilitates evaluation by the government and the American people of the statements and activities of such persons in light of their function as foreign agents. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-07-11 09:46 |
| #2 'We would leave the State Department, except for [Secretary of State Al] Haig, out of it. Now that's showing some real sense. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-07-11 08:54 |
| #1 Should things take a turn, owing to his obvious distate for Bangers and Mash anything British, and of course out of fairness, the Champ will probably give the Argies CVN 76, the USS Ronald Reagan. The classic Obama, twofold stick in the eye. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-07-11 02:24 |