May 2007 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Falklands War, a short but vicious conflict over a group of remote south Atlantic islands that most of the world had never heard of. Fought thousands of miles from any major land base, it was essentially a naval war and one that was crucially dependant on a long and vulnerable logistics 'tail'. Providing the all-important food, fuel and ammunition to the British task force was the job of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary -- whose unofficial motto boasts 'No sea too rough, no task too tough'. Belying their 'auxiliary' tag, RFA ships were in the frontline from the beginning, launching military operations and taking casualties, but their real contribution has never been fully appreciated. This book, based on numerous testimonies of those who were there, will put the record straight. Alongside moments of individual heroism emerges a wider story of the ingenuity and spirit of a 'can-do' service.With none of the protection of warships, and holds full of highly volatile cargoes -- fuel, explosives and even a few nuclear rounds -- serving in RFA ships required a special kind of dedication, and this book is a tribute to their extraordinary achievements.
