Falklands task force sails from Portsmouth

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On 5 April 1982, the aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes sailed from Portsmouth Harbour at the head of the Royal Navy task force dispatched to recapture the Falkland Islands following Argentina's invasion on 2 April. Thousands of people lined the harbour walls, Gosport waterfront, and the seafront at Southsea to watch the ships depart, in scenes that recalled the great naval departures of earlier centuries. The task force, which eventually numbered over 100 ships including requisitioned merchant vessels, sailed 8,000 miles south to the South Atlantic. The naval and amphibious campaign that followed, including the loss of HMS Sheffield, HMS Coventry, and other ships to Argentine air attack, resulted in the recapture of the islands by mid-June 1982. The departure and return of the task force were defining moments for Portsmouth and Gosport, reinforcing the towns' identity as naval communities. The welcome home for the returning ships was an emotional occasion, and the Falklands conflict is commemorated by memorials in Portsmouth and across the Solent area. The campaign demonstrated that Portsmouth remained a working naval base of national strategic importance.