This is the Mk3 LST, an RN landing ship In 1952 the Admiralty was tasked to develop plans to turn this into a 'catapult aircraft ship' embarking up to 4 Venom jets on a 'one use only' basis during WW3.

Thread on the 'forgotten aircraft carriers' of the 1950s. The CAM had its roots in 1941 where merchant ships carried a single 'one time only' Hurricane, launched by rocket catapult to provide air defence for a convoy to shoot down FW200 recce aircraft tracking convoys for German U Boats.

In 1947 HMS VANGUARD, the last British battleship took the King & His family to South Africa. TOP SECRET MOD files, only declassified in late 2025 reveal a very different story about how the ship came close to open mutiny - with MI5, the Admiralty and the King all involved... VANGUARD was launched by HRH Princess Elizabeth in 1944, and commissioned too late for WW2. In 1947 she was converted for service as a Royal Yacht to take the King to South Africa for the first visit by the Monarch. This was a high profile visit amid austerity of post war UK.

The photo was taken in Jan 47, just before she sailed.

In July 1990 the RAF Red Arrows visited the Soviet Union, providing displays in Leningrad and Kyiv. The trip report by the senior British Officer, Air Vice Marshal Pilkington is a fascinating insight to a time of hope, optimism and worry as the Cold War ended.

PSL Thread/ The visit was arranged initially to allow the Soviets to display in the UK, but became a solo effort. The hope to display over Moscow was cancelled for "technical reasons", so the itinerary was Leningrad and Kyiv, with a stop in Budapest on the way back.

In Dec 1987 Mikhail Gorbachev landed at RAF Brize Norton for meetings & lunch with British PM Margaret Thatcher, enroute to Washington.

While positive, he also directly attacked Thatcher for her sending missiles to Afghanistan.

A short thread on an incredible meeting. During 1987 the UK/Soviet relationship was tentatively improving, despite Cold War issues. Both leaders had a desire to improve their working relationship, so when the opportunity came, with Gorbachev flying to DC, the UK invited him to call in for a bilateral and lunch.

In May 1990, the RAF Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) visited Russia for defence talks with senior military leaders. His visit report is a fascinating insight into Russian fears of German unity, Soviet airpower and the "airborne ballet" display.
Short thread on his visit as latest The visit was intended to build confidence and links between senior military figures. It was seen overall as a success, marking openness in engagement, and with questions, often on military issues, answered. This was notable for being so unusual!

As the Cold War ended, senior British officers visited the Soviet Union and sent back powerful visit reports, capturing their experiences and engagements with the Russians. This is the first of several tweet thread, about when ACM Craig, CDS visited in December 1990. CDS visited from 9-14 Dec, as the guest of his Soviet opposite number (Gen Moiseev). The visit took him to Moscow, Leningrad and Murmansk.

Do you know the difference between a "special operation" a "sensitive operation" a "clandestine operation" and a "deniable operation"

Pinstripedline thread on 1970s SAS, MI6 and GCHQ operations and how the Govt tried to conceal their existence from official records... In 1973 Cabinet Secretary Sir Burke Trend was alarmed to see reports of deniable operations involving the SAS in Oman in wider public documents. He sent a formal admonishment to the head of the FCO and to the MOD over concerns about poor information security.

This is HMS ARK ROYAL in 2008. In 1992 the Royal Navy made serious plans to permanently convert her to an LPH in place of ordering HMS OCEAN.

Thread on the 'LPH that never was'... Throughout the 1980s the RN wanted to buy two Aviation Support Ships (ASS) to replace HMS HERMES and BULWARK to support the Royal Marines if they moved to Norway during wartime.

These ships would have supported the 3 INVINCIBLE class, and the 2 LPDs.

This is the Argentine Navy aircraft carrier 25 De Mayo.

On 29 April 1982, during the early stages of the Falklands War the MOD met to discuss a paper setting out the 'rules of engagement' under which the Royal Navy would be authorised to sink her.

Thread/ The carrier, a former Royal Navy Colossus class, was seen as one of the biggest threats to the task group.

The MOD analysis of her capabilities credited here with around 11-14 fixed wing jets (Skyhawk and Etendard) as well as Tracker recce aircraft.

This is the USS PALM BEACH, sister ship to the USS PUEBLO, a spy ship captured by North Korea. In 1967 the US Navy sought British permission to base her in the UK to carry out top secret intelligence missions against Russia.

A short PSL thread on Cold War spy ships! She was built in 1944 as a US Army aircraft repair ship, seeing service in WW2. Post war she carried out survey work in the West Indies before being put in reserve in the 1950s.

In 1966 she was taken over by the US Navy and converted into an intelligence collector.

In late 1961 the British Cabinet debated what, if any, military support the UK would provide to the Netherlands in the event of Indonesia attacking the colony of Dutch New Guinea.

Short thread on a forgotten military crisis... After the independence of Indonesia in 1949, the Netherlands retained control of Western New Guinea as a colony, and began preparing it for independence. In Dec 1961 President Sukarno called for the seizure of the colony by military force.

In the 1980s, the US Government wanted to purchase Royal Navy Polaris missiles to use them to test the effectiveness of the SDI missile defence system. This was seen as both an opportunity, and serious threat to UK nuclear security concerns.

Short thread on SDI & Chevaline... For almost 30 years the Polaris SSBN force was the backbone of the UK's strategic nuclear arsenal. 4 submarines, carry 16 missiles with 3 warheads were available to deliver an overwhelming nuclear attack on any aggressor if required.

In August 1983, Ministers were concerned that the Argentine military planned to carry out a surprise Exocet attack on a Royal Navy warship off the Falkland Islands. The RN assessed Seawolf only had a 35% chance of intercepting any inbound missile...

Thread on Exocet 1983. In Aug 83, Minister Armed Forces sought advice from the Royal Navy about the risk of Argentine military forces carrying out a sneak attack using Exocet in certain domestic political circumstances.

In 1982 Maj Gen Jeremy Moore RM took the surrender of Argentine Forces on the Falkland Islands. He was signatory to the original surrender document.

In 1983 the MOD launched a formal investigation about rumours that more than one document existed, and was being kept by him... In 1983, the MOD identified that a 2nd surrender possibly document existed, and may have been kept by Maj Gen Moore.

The Secretary of State was sufficiently concerned to order a formal investigation to find, and recover this document.

Lots of reporting today about alleged claims for what the KGB would have done in the UK in the event of a run up to war, to support a new book about MI5.

Lets look at actual Cold War MI5 documents, quoting Oleg Gordievsky (codename OVATION) to see what MI5 really thought... A new book about the Soviet spy Lyalin claims that the Soviets looked at trying to poison Holy Loch in the 1970s to cause peace activists to force a ban on the presence of US Navy Polaris submarines - a key risk to Russia in the event of war.

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1…

According to previously unseen highly SECRET files release today (22 Jul), in 1989, the UK Government began planning in the utmost secrecy for the mass evacuation of millions of people from Hong Kong ahead of handover to China.

This was called 'The Armageddon Scenario' Following the massacre in Tiananmen Square, there was real concern that the Colony, due to be handover over to China in 1997 would see a potential mass exodus of people fleeing Chinese tyranny and repression. This would have huge repercussions for the UK and beyond.

In 1972, at Ministerial request, the MOD made SECRET plans to conduct a parachute attack on Entebbe Airport, with SAS raids, RAF airlift and RN airstrikes to evacuate 7000 UK nationals.

Long thread on OP ZEUS and how & why the UK was preparing to invade Uganda in 1972/ In August 1972 President, Idi Amin of Uganda directed the South Asian population to leave the country in 90 days. There were approximately 50,000 UK passport holders caught up in this situation, the FCO realised an evacuation was necessary, and asked the MOD for help.

Following allegations about a Russian spy in MI6, its time to return to the 1980s and the publication of "Their Trade is Treachery".

Long PSL thread on a 1981 Whitehall spy saga and leak inquiry that involved every living British Prime Minister...

#coldwar #Espionage #spying In 1979, just after arriving in Office, PM Thatcher was informed in writing that Anthony Blunt, a key Establishment figure, was the '4th man' linked to well known British spies, as part of wider investigations into Soviet penetration of the UK

She announced this publicly.

UK may acquire F35A, capable of using tactical nuclear weapons, and expand FF/DD fleet to 25 as part of SDR.
Big changes, but also challenging, expensive and years to deliver. Tactical nuclear mission would be huge commitment of FJ force /1

thetimes.com/uk/defence/art… UK has no capability to develop/deploy air launched tactical warhead within 10yrs, so reliance on dual key B61 seems likely. Huge costs for associated nuclear mission, protection of assets and stepping up nuclear QRA - this will be incredibly expensive to deliver.

In 1968 Tony Benn asked Dennis Healey for the Royal Navy to provide aircraft carriers to ferry British made cars, like the Vauxhall Viva to the United States due to a shortage of shipping.

This thread tells the untold story of how the RN did its best to not comply! In spring 1968 the Suez canal was shut following the 1967 war. There was a global shortage of shipping, and the British car industry needed ships to ferry its vessels to the USA in time for peak sales season. Commercial shipping was in short supply.

The Russians have a long history of covertly spying in UK waters. This thread is about their spy ships in the Cold War, the threat they posed to the nuclear deterrent and the extensive steps taken by the Royal Navy to stop them.

Full PSL blog is tinyurl.com/4t6nvwy8 In 1988 the Royal Navy was deeply concerned about the new VISHNAYA class AGI operating off Malin Head, and the Soviet Type 75 Sonobuoy, shown by the RAF to be capable of tracking a NATO submarine deep in the GIUK gap. This posed a real threat to UK naval security.