| Sir John Forster Woodward | |
|---|---|
|
File:R Adm Sandy Woodward and Maj Gen Jeremy Moore - IWM FKD2608.jpg R Adm Woodward (right) during the Falklands campaign | |
| Nickname |
Sandy Spock |
| Born | 1 May 1932 |
| Died | 4 August 2013 (aged 81) |
| Place of birth | Penzance, Cornwall |
| Place of death | Bosham, West Sussex, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1946–1989 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Tireless HMS Grampus HMS Warspite HMS Sheffield South Atlantic Task Groups Naval Home Command |
| Battles/wars | Falklands War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Admiral Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward GBE, KCB (1 May 1932 – 4 August 2013) was a British admiral who commanded the British Naval Task Force in the South Atlantic during the Falklands War.
Early life[]
Woodward was born on 1 May 1932 at Penzance, Cornwall, to a bank clerk. He was educated at Stubbington House School, preparatory school in Stubbington, Hampshire. He then went on to continue his education at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon.[1]
[]
Having graduated from the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, Woodward joined the Royal Navy in 1946.[2] He became a submariner in 1954.[2] In 1960 he passed the Royal Navy's rigorous Submarine Command Course known as The Perisher,[3] and received his first command, the T Class submarine HMS Tireless.[2] He then commanded HMS Grampus[2] before becoming the second in command of the nuclear fleet submarine HMS Valiant.[2] In 1967, he was promoted to Commander and became the Instructor (known as Teacher) of the The Perisher Course. He took command of HMS Warspite in December 1969.[2] He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1972.[2] In 1974, he became Captain of Submarine Training and in 1976 he took command of HMS Sheffield.[2]
He became Head of Naval Plans in the Ministry of Defence in 1978.[2] In July 1981, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed as Flag Officer First Flotilla.[2]
Falklands War[]
In 1982, he commanded the Hermes aircraft carrier group, Task Force 317.8, in the Falklands War under the Commander-in-Chief Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse.[2] (The task force containing the amphibious ships which launched the actual invasion TF 317.0 was commanded by Commodore Michael Clapp, with Task Force 317.1 being the landing force itself.)
He worked out the timetable for the campaign, starting from the end and working to the start. Knowing that the Argentine forces had to be defeated before the (Southern Hemisphere) winter made conditions too bad, set a latest date by which the land forces had to be ashore, that in turn set a latest date by which control of the air was achieved, and so on.[4]
Possibly the most well know single incident is sinking of the ARA General Belgrano. He knew that Belgrano (and particularly her Exocet armed escorts) were a threat to the task force and he ordered that Belgrano be sunk [5] Admiral Sir George Zambellas credited "Woodward's inspirational leadership and tactical acumen ... [as] a major factor in shaping the success of the British forces in the South Atlantic".[6]
For his efforts during the war Woodward was knighted.[7] His book One Hundred Days, co-authored by Patrick Robinson, describing his Falklands experiences, is a candid account of the pressures of high command in wartime and the impact on the individual commander.
Later career[]
In 1983, Woodward was appointed Flag Officer Submarines and NATO Commander Submarines Eastern Atlantic.[2] In 1984, he was promoted to Vice Admiral, and in 1985 he was Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments).[2] Before retirement in 1989 he also served, from 1987, as Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command[2] and Flag Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.
Later life[]
The first edition of Woodward's memoirs were published in 1992. They were well received and were updated in 2003 and 2012 with updated recollections as well as responses to the memoirs and responses made by Commodore Mike Clapp.[8] In his later life Woodward wrote various opinion pieces for British newspapers regarding defence matters, particularly the Strategic Defence and Security Review.[9]
Woodward died on 4 August 2013 in Bosham, West Sussex,[10] after a long illness.[1][11][12]
Honours and decorations[]
On 11 October 1982, Woodward was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 'in recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic'.[13] In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GCB).[14]
| Ribbon | Details | Year awarded |
|---|---|---|
|
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire | 1989 |
|
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath | 1982 |
 |
South Atlantic Medal | 1982 |
|
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal | 1977 |
Publications[]
- Woodward, Sandy; Robinson, Patrick (1992). One Hundred Days: Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-215723-3.
- Woodward, Sandy; Robinson, Patrick (2003). One Hundred Days: Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander (2nd Edition, Fully revised and updated). HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-713467-3.
- Woodward, Sandy; Robinson, Patrick (2012). One Hundred Days: Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander (3rd Edition). HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-743640-8.
Footnotes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Admiral Sir John ('Sandy') Woodward". 5 August 2013. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/10223158/Admiral-Sir-John-Sandy-Woodward.html. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ↑ "Perisher Submarine Command Training in the Royal Navy". JOC David Nagle, USN. US Navy. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_18/perisher.htm. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ↑ Woodward, Sandy; One Hundred Days
- ↑ Ted Jeory (5 August 2013). "'The Navy's fighting admiral' Falkland Islands commander, Sandy Woodward dies aged 81". http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/419814/The-Navy-s-fighting-admiral-Falkland-Islands-commander-Sandy-Woodward-dies-aged-81. Retrieved 5 August 2013. "“It's very simple. There was the Belgrano and two destroyers armed with Exocet missiles milling around in the southern ocean." "I know from experience that while they were within 200 miles of our ships, they could have us overnight. So I wanted them removed, didn’t I?”"
- ↑ "Falklands War admiral Sandy Woodward dies aged 81". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23575534.
- ↑ "No. 49134". 8 October 1982. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/49134/page/
- ↑ Woodward, Sandy; One Hundred Days, 2nd edition; Introduction
- ↑ Woodward, Sandy (15 May 2011). "The truth is we couldn't defend anything further than the other side of the Channel". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2003263/Falkland-Islands-Britain-defend-English-Channel.html. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/world/europe/john-woodward-leader-of-british-navy-in-falkland-islands-war-dies-at-81.html?ref=obituaries
- ↑ "BBC News – Falklands War admiral Sandy Woodward dies aged 81". BBC. 5 August 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23575534. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- ↑ "Admiral Sandy Woodward". The Guardian. 5 August 2013. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/05/admiral-sandy-woodward.
- ↑ "No. 49134". 8 October 1982. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/49134/page/
- ↑ "No. 51772". 16 June 1989. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/51772/page/
The original article can be found at Sandy Woodward and the edit history here.