Orders, Decorations and Medals

“I don’t think of myself as a hero. All I wanted was to get on with my job. The ship was my home as well as that of 250 others. I was paid to do it so I thought I had better get on with it. And 8,000 miles is a long way to swim home.”

The exceptional and rare Falklands War ‘Battle of Bomb Alley’ D.S.M. group of four awarded to Chief Petty Officer M. D. Townsend, Royal Navy, who, after H.M.S. Argonaut had been hit in a determined Argentine air attack by two 1,000lb bombs, both of which failed to explode, stayed aboard the badly damaged vessel taking charge of an Action Damage Control Team after most of the ships company had been removed for their own safety - one of the acts of gallantry he performed involved him passing over and working within five feet of one of the unexploded bombs and then hanging over the side of the ship during continued enemy air attacks whilst patching up the hole through which the bomb had entered

Distinguished Service Medal, E.II.R., 2nd issue (CMEM(M) K984117P); General Service 1962, 2 clasps, Borneo, Northern Ireland (K984117P POMEM, RN); South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (CMEM(M) K984117P HMS Argonaut); Jubilee 1977, some contact wear and edge bruising, nearly very fine and better (4) £50000-60000

D.S.M. London Gazette 8 October 1982.

The published citation states:

‘On 21st May 1982, during intensive enemy air attacks, HMS Argonaut was struck by two bombs which did not explode, one lodging in the boiler room and the second entering the forward magazine through a fuel tank. Chief Marine Engineering Mechanic Townsend re-entered the boiler room to assess the damage and then organised and carried out the patching of a hole in the ship's hull at the water-line measuring four feet in diameter. He worked firstly inboard, passing over and working within five feet of the unexploded bomb, and then hanging over the side of the ship during continuing air attacks and the subsequent tow.

He then, without a break, attacked the flooding and damage caused by the second bomb. He directed and personally carried out pumping operations above the magazine containing this unexploded bomb and packed with explosives. He continued to search compartments flooded with diesel fuel for almost 48 hours.

Chief Marine Engineering Mechanic Townsend worked with no regard for his own safety. His fearlessness and resolute stamina in helping to overcome severe damage was a major factor in saving the ship.’

Only eleven Distinguished Service Medals were awarded during the Falklands War, with each of the following ships receiving just one award: HMS Antelope, HMS Ardent, HMS Argonaut, HMS Broadsword, HMS Conqueror and HMS Sheffield. The remaining five awards were given to men of 846 Naval Air Squadron (3), Fleet Clearance Diving Team (1) and Royal Marines (1). Additionally one other award was granted to a Royal Marine for the defence of South Georgia.

The following is extracted from the book, One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of The Falklands Battle Group Commander, by Admiral Sandy Woodward:

‘21 May 1982: Then it began. An Argentinian light attack two-seater jet aircraft, the Italian built Naval Macchi 339, flying at wave-top height along the northern coast, swung suddenly into the narrow entrance to Falkland Sound, going as fast as he could. The first ship he saw was Kit Layman’s Argonaut and he fired all eight of his five inch rockets at the frigate, coming on in low and raking the decks with 30mm cannon shells. One rocket hit the Seacat missile deck area and injured three men - one of whom lost an eye; another, the Master-at-Arms, took a piece of shrapnel one inch above his heart.

The attack had been so swift and sudden that the raider was making his escape away to the south-east before any kind of hardware could be aimed at him. As it was, they had a shot at him with a Blowpipe missile from the deck of Canberra; Intrepid launched a Seacat missile and David Pentreath opened up with 4.5 inch guns of Plymouth. But the Macchi got away doubtless to stagger his High Command with the tale of what he had just seen spread out below him in Carlos Water...

Back in Carlos Water another hour went by before the Argentinians sent in their most lethal and sustained air raid of the day. It would last for just over half an hour and it did great damage. The opening assault was made by six Skyhawks flying extremely low along the north coast, out of sight of all our radars. As swiftly as any of the opening attacks, they came through the narrows at more than five hundred knots. There they found Kit Layman’s Argonaut, from which the crew was desperately trying to evacuate their wounded by helicopter over to Canberra. At the last moment the Argonauts saw them and opened fire with everything they had, but they had no hope whatsoever of stopping all six. Five made it through, dropping a total of ten thousand-pounders, eight of which exploded in the water close to the embattled Leander Class frigate. The other two hit her, but mercifully failed to explode. The first one hit forward, going through a diesel fuel tank and coming to rest in a Seacat magazine, starting a fire and causing considerable structual damage. By the most extraordinary bit of luck, the escaping diesel fuel was cold enough to put the fire out without itself igniting and adding to the fire instead. The second bomb rammed through the bulkhead between the engine room and the boiler room, wrecking the steering mechanism and the reverse gearing.

Argonaut was perilously close to the rocks around Fanning Head and still going ahead with effectively no breaks and no steering. With remarkable presence of mind, Sub-Lieutenant Peter Morgan [D.S.C.] raced off the bridge, collecting a couple of ratings as he went, and managed to let go the anchor, which dragged the three-thousand-tonner to a halt, just short of the shoreline. Seconds later they lost all power, there was almost total devastation in certain parts of the ship and, with two men killed in the magazine, Argonaut’s war was almost over.’

Sold with the following original artefacts and documentation:

i) Two pieces of the unexploded 1,000lb bomb that landed in the forward magazine and set off the Seacat Missles, comprising:

a. The large rivetted iron ring that attaches the tail fin to the bomb itself.

b. A brass circular mechanical fragment from the inflight arming mechanism.

Ironically both the bombs that hit the Argonaut were British made 1,000lb general purpose high explosive bombs sold to the Argentinian Air Force several years previously by the British. It is unusual that the above two relics were still present when the bomb hit the Argonaut as the tail fin is designed to break away from the bomb on impact at which time the bomb is armed ready to explode. The reason for their presence is probably because the Argentian Air Force made the mistake of not adjusting the timing mechanisms to allow for the extremely low altitudes at which they were dropping the bombs and as a result a number failed to arm themselves and therefore explode.

ii) Copy of the Engine Room Log for HMS Argonaut, for the period 11 April 1982 to 25 June 1982, 22 pages, with extremely detailed daily entries, signed off by Lieutenant Hibbs. A superb first-hand account of the events leading up to and including the ‘Battle of Bomb Alley’.

iii) A remarkable series of 55 colour photographs taken by the recipient aboard H.M.S. Argonaut during the Falklands conflict, many captioned, including numerous images of the damage caused by the two bombs.

iv) Contemporary news cutting, from which the following is extracted:

‘Chief Engineering Mechanic Michael Townsend has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the removal of an unexploded 1,000lb bomb from HMS Argonaut. The bomb was one of two which hit the ship and failed to explode. The first which landed in the boiler room, was defused by Staff Sergeant Jim Prescott, the Chattendean based bomb disposal expert later killed defusing a bomb on H.M.S. Antelope. “Staff Sergeant Prescott was able to make the first bomb safe, but the second, which set off two Seacat missiles when it landed in the ship’s magazine could not be defused,” said Michael, a Chief Petty Officer.

“Basically we had to rip up ropes and pulleys to get the bomb up to the second deck level, and then we cut a hole in the side of the ship and put the bomb overboard. Most of the ship’s company was taken off while we were doing that. I can tell you it was pretty frightening. I spent about four and a half hours in near freezing temperatures patching the side of the ship. We were under constant threat of air attack.”

v) Letter of congratulation from the Captain of HMS Argonaut (who was himself decorated with the DSO for his actions) C. H. Layman, MVO, DSO, dated 22 October 1982:

‘Very many congratulations on your DSM. I can’t think of anyone who deserved a medal more. The citation only tells half the story. If you had not found and extinguished our fire on 27th May we would probably have lost the ship. It is good to see such resolute courage and stamina so well rewarded... Poor old Argonaut is in a fearful mess; what the Argentine Air Force failed to do the dockyard have done very well!’

vi) Letter of congratulation from the Marine Engineering Officer of HMS Argonaut, dated 11 October 1982:

‘Very many congratulations on your richly deserved DSM. Like most, I have quite a few vivid memories of Argonaut’s time in the Falklands and most, if not all, include you doing something or other. I will never forget what you did not only for the ship but also for me as M.E.O. If anyone deserved recognition you most certainly did.’

vii) Letter of congratulation from Admiral Sir James Eberle, GCB, ADC, The Commander in Chief, Naval Home Guard, dated 8 October 1982.

viii) Letter of congratulation from Rear-Admiral W. A. Higgins, CBE, Flag Officer Medway, dated 8 October 1982.

ix) Letter of congratulation from The Secretary of State for Defence, John Nott, dated 11 October 1982.

x) Letter from the Central Chancery regarding the investiture at Buckingham Palace.

xi) Four large ‘official’ photographs, comprising three of medal presentation and one of HMS Argonaut.

xii) Two invitation cards for receptions held by the City of Rochester Upon Medway and a further invitation card for an event hosted by the Prime Minister to mark the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War.