LOOKING BACK

Falklands veteran was big attraction

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Of all the various seagoing vessels to visit Millbay in the 1980s, the one that attracted the most attention - and the most visitors, notwithstanding the various Brittany Ferries - was the ship upon which the surrender of the Falklands was signed by the Argentinian Lieutenant Commander Alfredo Astiz: HMS Plymouth.

After the Falklands War, she served as the West Indies Guard Ship before being laid off in April 1988, when she was acquired by the Warship Preservation Trust.

As of July 1988, HMS Plymouth was on display and open to the public at Trinity Pier. The plan was for her to remain open until the end of September after which a winter refurbishment was to take place in readiness for being open across the 1989 tourist season.