Draft:Operation Blackleg

Operation Blackleg, from September 16, 1982 – January 28, 1983, was the code name for the recovery of NATO-sensitive equipment and documents from the sunken wreck of the HMS Coventry a type 42 ( Sheffield Class) destroyer of the Royal Navy, sunk by Argentine Airforce A-4 Skyhawks on May 25, 1982, during the Falklands War. Royal Navy Clearance Divers from the Saturation Diving and Deep Trails Team based at HMS Vernon under the Command of Lt. Cdr M.D Kooner formed Naval Party 2200.

Background
The wreck of  HMS Coventry is 13 miles north of West Falkland Island. HMS Coventry rests on the port side at a depth of over 330 ft on the seabed. Fleet Clearance Diving Team (2) led by Fleet Chief Diver John Dadd, BEM, which had served during Operation Corporate was to be flown back to the United Kingdom a few days after the Argentine surrender These Royal Navy Clearance Divers were to form up the central part of Operation Blackleg team.

Operation Blackleg was the code name given to the Royal Navy's mission to recover NATO sensitive cryptographic equipment and Top Secret documentation that was still onboard when Coventry sank. Lt Cdr Mike Kooner MBE led Operation Blackleg on board the chartered ship, DSV Stena Seaspread], which during the Falklands War had been the prime battle damage repair ship and now would function in the ship's main task as a saturation diving vessel.

The Ministry of Defence was concerned that the loss of HMS Coventry posed a significant risk that the ship's communication systems, top secret documents, weapon guidance systems, and armaments could be salvaged by a hostile country threatening to set back NATO by decades. Accordingly, based at HMS Vernon, Portsmouth, the Royal Navy's Deep Trails and Saturation Team formed NP 2200 and were to sail South to West Falkland Island on the morning of September 16th 1982.

Diving operations
The salvage operations consisted of five dives. Dive 001 was relatively shallow to test and trail the saturation diving system. Dive 005 was a surveillance dive led by Lt CDR Mike Kooner to assess the work the other teams had completed. Dive 005 was completed in only a few days with a total water time of 17 hours. On October 13, Operation Blackleg and Dive 002 was the first team of divers to enter the hyperbaric saturation chambers and be pressed down to a storage depth of 75 metres, with a maximum working depth of 100 metres.

Dive 002
Team members for Dive 002:
 * CPO Diver- Barry Limbrick
 * Leading Divers- Martin Jenrick, Gary Gibson, Martin Davies, Clive Gale
 * Able Seaman Diver- Paul Tudor ( The only Able Seaman to be given special dispensation to saturation dive)

The team was tasked with setting up HMS Coventry as a safe working environment. This included placing transponders on the seabed for DSV Stena Seaspread's Dynamic Positioning system. Dive 002's main objective was to gain entry into the Main Communications Office (MCO) and the Electronic Warfare Office (EWO) within the MCO. An area to gain access was marked out on the starboard side of the ship's hull. Coxes Bolt Gun was used to punch holes to allow trapped gases to vent off to the surrounding ocean, followed by cutting sections of the ship's hull using oxy-arc equipment. Leading Diver Jenrick was on the ship's hull, clearing up the dive site due to a forecast of inclement weather. DSV Stena Seaspread's Dynamic Positioning computers crashed, resulting in a run-off pulling Jenrick through the water with some force. Jenrick made his way back to the safety of the diving bell. CPO Diver Limbrick recovered the battle ensign using HMS Coventry halyards. The ensign flag was eventually returned to Captain David Hart-Dyke, the Commanding Officer of HMS Coventry, during Operation Corporate.

On October 31st, the dive team entered HMS Coventry's MCO and EWO. Equipment and publications were recovered and sent topside for cataloguing. Both the MCO and EWO were assessed as all necessary items were recovered.

Dive 003
On November 10th, the following six divers were compressed into the hyperbaric living chambers: Dive 003 main aim was to enter and recover all MoD items from the Operations Room (OR) and Computer Room (CR). The area on Coventy's hull was identified, gases vented, and oxy-arc cutting commenced.
 * Canadian Exchange Officer Lieutenant – Charles Edwards
 * PO Diver – Micheal Harrison
 * Leading Divers – Ray Sinclair (formerly Suckling), Grahame Wilson, Chris David, Steve Clegg,Kevan Daber (replacement diver for David)

Chris David, cutting into the wreck, suffered an underwater blowback. The explosion ruptured both eardrums. David was decompressed and medically evacuated. Steve Clegg also experienced a blowback in a separate incident. Unlike David, he was wearing a hard-diving helmet, a Superlite 17. The explosion was to crack Clegg's polycarbonate faceplate. Clegg suffered no physical injury and was awarded a Commander-in-Chief's Commendation for Brave Conduct.

On November 19th, the three-man dive team of Harrison, Sinclair and Wilson (bellman) was tasked with moving a member of the ship's company lying over the doorway blocking access to the passageway that led to the Computer Room (CR). The deceased sailor was moved deeper to his final resting place. Harrison made his way along the passage to the CR and retrieved the cryptographic tapes. Harrison became entangled and stuck when returning to where Sinclair was stationed inside the ship's lobby. Harrison was trapped between the ship's side and a computer console that had moved during the Coventry's sinking. Wires and cabling had wrapped around his diving helmet and bail-out bottle. Sinclair, via dive Control, was instructed to make his way along the passage to where Harrison was trapped and free him. Having removed the cabling and pulled Harrison free, Sinclair took the cryptographic tapes, and Harrison returned to recover the final MOD items. Harrison was awarded a Queens Gallantry Medal.

Lt Edwards and Daber entered Captain Hart-Dyke's cabin. They cleared the compartment to allow the following dive team to access the Captain's safe and recover highly classified documents. Edwards and Daber also located and recovered the much-revered "Cross of Nails, a result of the World War II bombing of the Coventry Cathedral by the German Luftwaffe. Leading Diver Sinclair used oxy-arc after failing to open the safe by the combination lock. Sinclair recovered all classified documents along with Hart-Dykes family silver, including two George II candlesticks described on pages 238-239 in the book Four Weeks in May by David Hart-Dyke.

On the final diving excursion of Dive 003, Sinclair was to place a plastic explosive pack on the armed warhead of the last SeaDart on HMS Coventry's launcher.

Dive 004
Team members for Dive 004:
 * CPO Diver Carl Massey
 * Leading Diver – Fozzie Foster
 * Leading Diver – Graham Bean
 * Leading Diver – Steve Drury
 * Leading Diver – Martin Jenrick
 * Leading Diver – Clive Gale.

Divers Jenrick and Gale were on their second saturation dives. The primary objective of Dive 004 was to recover classified documents from the remaining compartments: the 909 office, Captain's Bridge, and CB Store. Using the access cut by Dive 003, the divers entered the CB store and successfully cleared the compartment. The Communications store contained only bunting and no classified materials.

Leading Diver Gale enters the Operations Room via a large hole blasted into the wreck by charges placed from dive 003, successfully cutting away pipes blocking access; Gale reports extensive battle damage and no sign of safes containing classified materials. Leading Diver Jenrick re-enters the Operations Room, encountering several large consoles that were loose and unstable. He recovered the last of the few loose publications. The Operation room was deemed successfully cleared, and no further investigation by divers was needed. Leading Diver Bean re-enters the Computer Room, recovering a few items; the compartment is declared cleared. On December 13, the divers found a route into the 909 Office. The safes were opened and cleared using a crowbar, chisel, and hammer. This was to complete the internal tasks of Operation Blackleg. All classified materials are recovered, and the operation moves to the final phases, ordnance clearance and aerials. Three demolition charges were placed on the Sea Skua magazine, the torpedo Body Room, and over the second steering position. Plastic explosive packs were placed around the base of the 965 "bedstead" aerial, successfully blowing the aerial of the mast, which was stropped and recovered. On the final dive of 004, the team attached 4lb plastic explosive packs to unarmed Sea Dart missiles remaining in the magazine.

Dive 005
Team members for Dive 005:
 * Lt Cdr Mike Kooner (MBE)
 * CPO Diver Brian Hutchinson
 * Leading Diver Kevan Daber
 * Leading Diver Steve Clegg
 * Leading Diver Greg Harrison
 * Leading Diver Nick Kincart

With the Senior Naval Officer in saturation to survey the tasks successfully carried out by Dive teams 002, 003, and 004, FCPO Diver John Dadd (BEM), a highly qualified Clearance Diver, was now the Senior Diving officer. FCPO Dadd was also in charge of all demolitions throughout Operation Blackleg. Saturation Dive 005 was short dive lasting only three days plus decompression. The team placed demolition charges on the remaining Sea Dart missiles. The final dive excursion of Operation Blackleg was to survey the charges that successfully destroyed the missiles. As an act of remembrance to the deceased sailors, a White Ensign was placed on HMS Coventry.