HMS Bristol, the Falklands War destroyer, will depart Portsmouth at 6:30am Wednesday bound for Turkey where she will be scrapped, with veterans gathering at The Round Tower to bid farewell.
The Type 82 warship HMS Bristol is set to be towed away this week as part of a recycling agreement. Former Petty Officer Mike Tuttiett, a Falklands War veteran, said former crew members who served aboard will experience mixed 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.”
Final departure details
Mr Tuttiett, who served in the Royal Navy between 1974 and 1991 as Petty Officer Communications Yeoman, serves as secretary of the HMS Bristol Association. Numerous members will congregate at The Round Tower in Old Portsmouth to witness her final voyage.
The veteran confirmed the destroyer is scheduled to depart the city at approximately 6:30am on Wednesday morning (June 11), with a modest gathering expected to see her off. Despite logistical challenges, he hopes to provide HMS Bristol with an appropriate farewell.
“We’re trying to gather as many people as possible,” he said, “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 frontline service to training role
HMS Bristol was commissioned on March 31, 1973, and decommissioned on October 28, 2020. Prior to her Falklands War deployment, she tested new computer and weapons systems. Originally designed to escort CVA-01 aircraft carriers planned for the 1970s, these plans were subsequently cancelled along with other Type 82 destroyers.
A boiler fire destroyed her steam plant in 1974, nearly crippling the vessel, but she was repaired and prepared for frontline service by 1976. HMS Bristol served as the UK flagship during exercise Ocean Safari in 1981. Following refitting for the Argentine conflict, she led the Bristol group of reinforcement ships and joined Task Group 317.8.
She assumed an anti-aircraft role after HMS Coventry was struck and sunk on May 25, 1982. HMS Bristol subsequently served as flagship for part of the conflict until September 17, before HMS Illustrious replaced her.
Following regular deployments until a 1984 refit, another boiler explosion caused extensive damage, leading to her conversion to a training ship in 1991. She was permanently berthed at Whale Island, serving as a Harbour Training Ship.
Mr Tuttiett explained: “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 noted that hundreds of thousands of young people trained aboard the destroyer over the years, making her scrapping particularly poignant. “It’s a big community if you could gather everybody that had a connection or served on board,” Mr Tuttiett added.
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Training ship legacy
“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 Ministry of Defence is currently searching for a replacement Harbour Training Ship. HMS Bristol hosted up to 17,000 visitors annually while providing “the closest thing to a sea-going experience without leaving port”.
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 said. “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.”
A Royal Navy spokesperson previously stated: “As part of Defence’s commitment to sustainability and preserving the planet, HMS Bristol will be recycled after she departs Portsmouth next year”.
