Heroic Falklands War Royal Navy ship HMS Bristol to leave Portsmouth for scrapyard in "very sad" moment - when

The Type 82 warship HMS Bristol will be towed away and head for Turkey this week as part of a recycling deal. Former Petty Officer Mike Tuttiett, a Falklands War veteran, said former personnel who served on board will be going through a wave of emotions.

He told The News: “We’re proud that she’s the last ever ship from the Falklands to be commissioned and decommissioned. We’re proud of all the crew that served until she was decommissioned. It’ll be a very sad time for all of us.

“I have mixed emotions. It will be sad to say goodbye to her but I’m proud of the ship and want to be there for the start of her last journey. There are quite a few upset people, but we’re going to muster and watch her sail.”

When will HMS Bristol leave Portsmouth?

Mr Tuttiett, who served in the Royal Navy between 1974 and 1991 - reaching the rank of Petty Officer Communications Yeoman - is the secretary of the HMS Bristol Association. Many of its members will be gathering at The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth to watch her last voyage.

The veteran said the destroyer is due to sail from the city at roughly 6.30am on Wednesday morning (June 11) - with a small crowd expected to wave her away. He added that despite all the challenges, he hopes to give HMS Bristol the send-off she deserves.

”We’re trying to gather as many people as possible”, he added, “but with it being early and midweek, some of the guys from up north and the midlands are struggling. Some are booking accommodation on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We’ll go and drown our sorrows afterwards.”

From Falklands War to Harbour Training Ship

HMS Bristol was commissioned on March 31, 1973, and decommissioned on October 28, 2020. Before her role in the Falklands War, she was used to trial new computer and weapons systems. She was initially designed to escort the CVA-01 aircraft carriers due to be introduced in the 1970s, but plans to build these and other Type 82 destroyers were axed.

A boiler fire obliterated her steam plant in 1974, but she was refitted and readied for frontline service in 1979. HMS Bristol served as the UK flagship in 1981 during exercise Ocean Safari. After being refitted again to fight the Argentinian junta, she led the Bristol group of reinforcement ships and joined Task Group 317.8.

She was used in an anti-aircraft role after HMS Coventry was hit and sunk on May 25, 1982. HMS Bristol has been most recently used as a Harbour Training Ship after being decommissioned. The search for a replacement vessel continues.

Mr Tuttiett said: “We obviously understand there is a big money implication trying to keep her, as a training ship or otherwise. She would need a lot of work as her hull is in a really bad state, but she’s in good enough condition to make the voyage to Turkey.”

The veteran said hundreds of thousands of young people trained aboard the destroyer over the years, and her scrapping would be a sad moment for them. “It’s a big community if you could gather everybody that had a connection or served on board,” Mr Tuttiett added.

“The Navy do need a new harbour training ship, if another ship is retired and in a much better state than HMS Bristol was. The inside of the ship was gutted and a lot of it was turned into accommodation and training rooms. We’ve had many tours and I can still see my bed. The country needs something like that. Young people are struggling to be able to have something like that to go and do for training. The Navy needs to do something.”

The Falklands War veteran was assigned to HMS Bristol in 1980 and served during the conflict. “It was a very emotional time on board,” he added. “Some people survive it in different ways and some don’t. We’re mindful of all those who served during that time. HMS Bristol was my ship and I’ve had a long affinity with it. It was a brilliant ship and we had a brilliant ship’s company. Always a good bunch of lads.”

When approached by The News, a Royal Navy spokesperson referred to a statement submitted last year. It said: “As part of Defence’s commitment to sustainability and preserving the planet, HMS Bristol will be recycled after she departs Portsmouth next year.”