Protecting the secrets of a wreck – diving on HMS Coventry
In this historical piece, former Royal Navy clearance diver Ray Sinclair reveals details of Operation Blackleg – the hazardous work to recover classified materials from the wreck of HMS Coventry sunk off the Falkland Islands in May 1982.
HMS Coventry was sunk in about 100 metres of water to the north of the Falklands Sound. Although the wreck was considered too deep for amateur diving, it could be accessible to professional divers. Fearing that the Soviet navy could attempt to access the site, it was considered necessary to mount an operation to recover classified cryptographic material left on board as soon as possible.
Operation Blackleg was led by Lieutenant Commander Mike Kooner and a team of Naval divers operating from the chartered vessel MV Stena Seaspread between from October – December 1982. It saw the team secure various weapons, destroy sensitive equipment and recover items including coded documents, the captain’s ceremonial sword and telescope, as well as the Cross of Nails from Coventry Cathedral, presented in 1978 when the ship was commissioned. Four decades later, lead diver Ray Sinclair (formerly Suckling), now a journalist has written this narrative:
