A tribute to the workers, sailors and others who provided the vital backup for the task force Portland's part in the Falklands Conflict. South Dorset MP Richard Drax unveils the commemorative Plaque at Portland Port.
"Portland's role in the Falklands' liberation remembered at last,

"Portland became the latest site/naval base/port which provided vital support to the fleet sent to liberate the Falklands in 1982 to recognise those hitherto unsung efforts.
A Falklands Memorial Plaque was unveiled at Portland Port by South Dorset MP Richard Drax, commemorating the work carried out by dockyard employees over a few dramatic weeks in the spring of 1982.
At the outbreak of the conflict Portland’s facilities were in constant demand. The first vessel to depart the UK ahead of the Operation Corporate Task Force was RMAS Typhoon, an ocean-going tug, which headed south on April 4 1982 – just two days after the Argentinian invasion.
The task force would begin leaving the next day, while a second wave underwent a reduced two-week Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) package in Portland before heading off to join them.
Helicopters at Portland’s Naval Air Station, HMS Osprey were prepared for the arduous 8,000-mile journey to the South Atlantic while across the dockyard the workforce worked tirelessly ashore and on the water, at very short notice, to ready the ships for war; their efforts contributed hugely towards the ultimate liberation of the Falkland Islands.
“Ships were turned around in a very short space of time, what would have normally taken one or two weeks, were operational in one or two days – quite a remarkable feat by any standards,” Mr Drax said in praise of the team from 1982."