Nigel Ward
Encyclopedia
Commander
Nigel "Sharkey" Ward DSC
, AFC
, RN
commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron
from HMS Invincible
during the Falklands War
, of April to June 1982, and was the senior Sea Harrier adviser to the Command on the tactics, direction and progress of the air war.
for gallantry.
As Sea Harrier adviser to the Command, Ward's first job was to assemble two working squadrons of aircraft. Including those transferred from N899 HQ Training Squadron, 12 were scraped together for HMS Hermes (R12)
800 Naval Air Squadron and 8 for HMS Invincible's 801 Naval Air Squadron
. Only in mid-May were they reinforced by eight more Harriers of 809 NAS and six RAF GR.3s. Just six Navy Sea Harriers were lost by accident or ground fire, and not one in air-to-air fighting.
Ward was an inspirational leader and put his men first, if there was any risk to his men or the tactics were wrong then he would not hesitate in pointing out that, perhaps there was a better or less risky way of completing the task/mission objectives.
After retirement from the Navy in 1989, Commander Ward wrote a book: "Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: A Maverick at War", which was first published in 1992, with reprints in 1995 and 2001. In 2001, he returned to the RNAS Yeovilton
to fly with his son, after Kris had qualified to fly the Sea Harrier FA2. Kris who is also referred to as "Sharky", has gone on to become the Senior Pilot of the Naval Strike Wing. In this time he has completed numerous tours of Afghanistan.
On 2011, whilst residing in Grenada
, he had a friendly but emotional radio interview with Ezequiel Martel, son of the C-130 Hercules's pilot shot down by Ward during the conflict.
about proposed defence cuts: "I am a Harrier pilot and I have flown 140 odd missions in Afghanistan, and I am now potentially facing unemployment. How am I supposed to feel about that, please, sir?". Nigel Ward supported his son, saying it's an "absolutely appalling decision" to axe ship-based jets.
Ward is now a member and a contributor to The Phoenix Think Tank, a think tank that heavily scruntinises the Royal Navy in the wake of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review
.
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Nigel "Sharkey" Ward DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, AFC
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
, RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War.- Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force:...
from HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible (R05)
HMS Invincible was a British light aircraft carrier, the lead ship of three in her class in the Royal Navy. She was launched on 3 May 1977 and is the seventh ship to carry the name. She saw action in the Falklands War when she was deployed with , she took over as flagship of the British fleet when...
during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, of April to June 1982, and was the senior Sea Harrier adviser to the Command on the tactics, direction and progress of the air war.
Falklands
Commander Ward flew over sixty war missions, achieved three air-to-air kills, and took part in or witnessed a total of ten kills; he was also the leading night pilot, and was decorated with the Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
for gallantry.
As Sea Harrier adviser to the Command, Ward's first job was to assemble two working squadrons of aircraft. Including those transferred from N899 HQ Training Squadron, 12 were scraped together for HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Hermes was a Centaur-class British aircraft carrier, the last of the postwar conventional aircraft carriers commissioned into the Royal Navy.-Construction and modifications:...
800 Naval Air Squadron and 8 for HMS Invincible's 801 Naval Air Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron
801 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War.- Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force:...
. Only in mid-May were they reinforced by eight more Harriers of 809 NAS and six RAF GR.3s. Just six Navy Sea Harriers were lost by accident or ground fire, and not one in air-to-air fighting.
Ward was an inspirational leader and put his men first, if there was any risk to his men or the tactics were wrong then he would not hesitate in pointing out that, perhaps there was a better or less risky way of completing the task/mission objectives.
After retirement from the Navy in 1989, Commander Ward wrote a book: "Sea Harrier Over the Falklands: A Maverick at War", which was first published in 1992, with reprints in 1995 and 2001. In 2001, he returned to the RNAS Yeovilton
RNAS Yeovilton
Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, or RNAS Yeovilton, is an airfield of the Royal Navy, sited in South West England a few miles north of Yeovil in Somerset...
to fly with his son, after Kris had qualified to fly the Sea Harrier FA2. Kris who is also referred to as "Sharky", has gone on to become the Senior Pilot of the Naval Strike Wing. In this time he has completed numerous tours of Afghanistan.
On 2011, whilst residing in Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, he had a friendly but emotional radio interview with Ezequiel Martel, son of the C-130 Hercules's pilot shot down by Ward during the conflict.
Ward's aircraft
- XZ451 Sea Harrier FRS1 - Built: 18 June 1979: First RN Sea Harrier. 3 confirmed kills over Falklands (Pucara & C-130 by Lt.Cdr. N. 'Sharkey' Ward, CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
by Lt. A. Curtis, both 801 NAS, HMS Invincible) Written-off 1 December 1989 near SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
due to control failure. Pilot - Lt. M. Auckland (801 NAS) ejected safely.
- ZA175 Sea Harrier FRS1/FA2 - Built: 7 December 1981: 1 confirmed kill over Falklands (Dagger by Lt.Cdr. N. 'Sharkey' Ward, 801 NAS, HMS Invincible). Airframe was ugraded to FA2 standard in 1996.
Confirmed damaged and kills
- 1 May - Lt.Cdr. "Sharkey" Ward and Lt. Soapy Watson in Sea Harriers of Number 801 Squadron on CAP engage three Turbo-MentorsT-34 MentorThe Beechcraft T-34 Mentor is a propeller-driven, single-engined, military trainer aircraft derived from the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza. The earlier versions of the T-34, dating from around the late 1940s to the 1950s, were piston-engined. These were eventually succeeded by the upgraded T-34C...
. One enemy aircraft is damaged by cannon fire from Ward's aircraft. - 21 May - FMA IA 58 PucaráFMA IA 58 PucaráThe FMA IA 58 Pucará is an Argentine ground-attack and counter-insurgency aircraft. It is a low-wing two-turboprop-engined all-metal monoplane with retractable landing gear, manufactured by the Fábrica Militar de Aviones.-Development:...
: Two Pucaras intercepted by Number 801 Squadron CAP (Lt.Cdr. N. Ward, Lt. S. Thomas and Lt. A. Craig). One Pucara was destroyed by cannon fire from Ward's Harrier and the pilot, Major Carlos Tomba, ejected safely and walked back to Goose GreenGoose GreenGoose Green is a settlement in Lafonia on East Falkland in the Falkland Islands. It lies on Choiseul Sound, on the east side of the island's central isthmus, south-southwest of Darwin. With a population of about 70, it is the second largest settlement of the Falkland Islands.Goose Green has a shop...
. Ward later complimented Major Tomba on how he continued to fly his aircraft after Ward had filled it with so many holes. - 21 May - Mirage V "Dagger"IAI NesherThe Israel Aircraft Industries Nesher is the Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5 multi-role fighter aircraft...
: Number 801 CAP (Lt.Cdr. Sharkey Ward and Lt. Steve Thomas) were vectored towards three Dagger-As (which were not carrying any Air-to-air missiles) of FAA Grupo 6, north of Port Howard. In a turning fight, the three Daggers were destroyed with Steve Thomas accounting for two and Sharkey for one, all with Sidewinder missiles. His wingman Steve Thomas descended to attack a Pucara, but was hit by AAA fire and lost all radio contact with Sharkey. Sharkey declared his wingman missing and possibly shot down. Both Sharkey and Steve Thomas managed to return safely to HMS Invincible, even though Steve Thomas had battle damage to his aircraft which took out his main and standby radio. The Argentinean pilots attacked were, Maj Piuma, Capt Donaldille and Lt Senn, were seen ejecting from their aircraft. - 1 June - C-130 Hercules: Number 801 Squadron CAP (Lt.Cdr. Sharkey Ward and Lt. Steve Thomas) destroyed an Argentine C-130 Hercules approximately 93 kilometers north of Pebble Island. Ward's first AIM-9L Sidewinder missile fell short of the C-130, but the second started a fire between the inner and outer port engines. Ward then fired 240 rounds from his Harrier's two ADEN cannonADEN cannonThe Royal Small Arms Factory ADEN is a 30 mm revolver cannon used on many military aircraft, particularly those of the British Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm...
s, this action broke off the wing of the enemy aircraft, sending it crashing into the sea and killing the 7 crew members. Although this particular C-130 was performing a daylight reconnaissance flight, the Argentinians had been using a C-130 to attack merchant ships re-supplying the task force by simply pushing a bomb out of the back of the aircraft as it flew over (one bomb struck a ship, but bounced off to no effect). The Argentinian crews aboard were captains Rubén Martel and Carlos Krause, vice-comodore Hugo Meisner among the officers Miguel Cardone and Carlos Cantezano joinig at petty officers Julio Lastra and Manuel Albelos.
Response to defence cuts
On 19 October 2010, Kris Ward confronted David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
about proposed defence cuts: "I am a Harrier pilot and I have flown 140 odd missions in Afghanistan, and I am now potentially facing unemployment. How am I supposed to feel about that, please, sir?". Nigel Ward supported his son, saying it's an "absolutely appalling decision" to axe ship-based jets.
Ward is now a member and a contributor to The Phoenix Think Tank, a think tank that heavily scruntinises the Royal Navy in the wake of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review
Strategic Defence and Security Review
The Strategic Defence and Security Review was announced by the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government of the United Kingdom in May 2010, and published on 19 October 2010...
.