SS Atlantic Conveyor Atlantic Conveyor was a British merchant navy ship , registered in Liverpool , that was requisitioned during the Falklands War . She was hit on 25 May 1982 by two Argentine air - launched AM39 Exocet missiles , killing 12 sailors . " Atlantic Conveyor " sank whilst under tow on 28 May 1982 . The wrecksite is designated under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 . History . " Atlantic Conveyor " was a 14 , 950 ton roll - on , roll - off container ship owned by Cunard . She was built along with six other container ships , each named " Atlantic " and sailing under different national flags for different companies . Along with her sister ship , " Atlantic Causeway " , " Atlantic Conveyor " was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence at the beginning of the Falklands War through the STUFT system ( Ships Taken Up From Trade ) . Due to the short timescales , the decision that the ship was not " a high - value unit " and a controversy over whether arming auxiliaries was legal , " Atlantic Conveyor " was not fitted with either an active or a passive defence system . The ships were used to carry supplies for the Royal Navy Task Force sent by the British government to retake the Falkland Islands from Argentine occupation . Sailing for Ascension Island on 25 April 1982 , " Atlantic Conveyor " carried a cargo of six Wessex helicopters from 848 Naval Air Squadron and five RAF HC . 1 Chinooks from No . 18 Squadron RAF . At Ascension , she picked up eight Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers ( 809 Squadron ) and six RAF Harrier GR . 3 jump jets . One Chinook of B flight No . 18 Squadron RAF left the Atlantic Conveyor to support operations on Ascension . With the aircraft stored she then set sail for the South Atlantic . On arrival off the Falklands in mid - May , all of the Harriers were off - loaded to the carriers ; the GR . 3s going to HMS " Hermes " while the Sea Harriers were divided amongst the existing squadrons on " Hermes " and HMS " Invincible " . On 25 May 1982 ( the same day as the loss of HMS " Coventry " ) " Atlantic Conveyor " was hit by two AM39 Air Launched Exocet missiles fired by a two Argentine Navy Super Étendard jet fighters . The mission was led by Corvette Captain Roberto Curilovic , ( call sign ' Tito ' ) flying Super Etendard 0753 / 3 - A - 203 , and his wingman , Warship Lieutenant Julio Barraza , ( call sign ' Leo ' ) flying in 0754 / 3 - A - 204 . Both Exocets struck " Atlantic Conveyor " on the port quarter of the ship . Some sources assert that the warheads exploded after penetrating the ship ' s hull , others do not . Due to the presence of both fuel and ammunition that were stored below deck , the incendiary effect as a result of unburnt propellant from the missiles was the of cause an uncontrollable fire . When the fire had burnt out , the ship was boarded but nothing was recovered . With the Atlantic Conveyor under tow by the requisitioned Tug Irishman , it sank in the early morning of 28 May 1982 . All the helicopters but one Chinook , callsign " Bravo November " , were destroyed in the fire . The loss of these helicopters meant that British troops had to march across the Falklands to recapture Stanley . Twelve men died in " Atlantic Conveyor " , including the ship ' s master , Captain Ian North , who was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) . The ship was the first British merchant vessel lost at sea to enemy fire since World War II . The ship ' s replacement was built on Tyneside . Piloting a Sea King helicopter of 820 Naval Air Squadron , Prince Andrew ( then second in line to the throne ) was first to lift off survivors . Techniques to defeat anti - ship missiles . A dangerous task carried out by Sea Kings was to act as decoys , to deflect sea - skimming missiles away from surface ships . This was achieved by hovering close to the ship and as the radar seeker could not resolve targets in azimuth the ship / helicopter combination appeared as a single target . If the helicopter was not too high the missile guidance system would aim for the centroid of its apparent target and hopefully pass between the two . Prince Andrew at one point flew his helicopter as an Exocet missile decoy . Chaff rockets aim to seduce a missile with a similar technique by increasing the apparent length of the target . The size of the ship ' s radar cross section ( RCS ) was too great to allow chaff decoys to be effective and their employment would have been unlikely to have affected the outcome . It has also been claimed — incorrectly — that the hull of the ship acted as a decoy against a subsequent Exocet attack . Crew . The vessel carried a Merchant Navy crew of 33 . This included twelve officers ( master , chief officer , second officer , third officer , radio officer , chief engineer , second engineer , two third engineers , fourth engineer , electrician and purser ) , ten petty officers ( bosun , four mechanics , two first cooks , second cook & baker , second cook and second steward ) and eleven ratings ( five seamen , three greasers and three assistant stewards ) . Deaths . The 12 men killed in the sinking of " Atlantic Conveyor " were : As the last resting place of the remains of those who died , the wreck is designated as a " protected place " under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 . Trivia . The officers bar on M / V Atlantic Conveyor , built 1984 in Swansea , Wales , are named " The North Bar " after Captain Ian North .