Fitzroy

Fitzroy - 8 June 1982 was the blackest day for the British task force in the Falklands War , when two landing ships at Fitzroy on East Falkland were hit by Argentine air attacks, causing the single worst casualties in any one day of the war for Britain . Worse still, the losses could have been avoided or minimized had there not been a string of unfortunate decisions, delays, an unclear line of command, SAM missile system failures and, not least, the skill of the Argentine Air Force pilots. Today there are several memorials dotted around a cove near the settlement of Fitzroy and some items displayed in the village hall. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: For general background and context see under Falklands War and Falkland Islands . On 21 to 25 May 1982 the British had successfully landed the first batch of troops at San Carlos and by the end of the month one battalion of the Parachute Regiment (2 Para) had won the first crucial land battle of the war at Goose Green . More reinforcements were landed at San Carlos and the march on Stanley as the final decisive push to overall victory was about to begin. So a week into June, things had actually been going well for the British. But that was about to change dramatically and tragically on 8 June. More ground troops were landed on the eastern side of East Falkland, and some were already assembled at Bluff Cove. They were supposed to be joined by yet more battalions of Scots and Welsh Guards transported there together with their equipment by the landing ships RFA Sir Tristram and RFA Sir Galahad . This had partly been necessitated by the fact that the heavy-lift helicopters had been lost in the attack on the transport vessel Atlantic Conveyor at San Carlos .