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Wayland Austin

Article highlights

• The career of an Air Traffic Controller who served in the Gulf War

• Austin and the Navy

• HMS Gloucester and the Gulf War

• Operation Desert Shield

• At war - Silkworm attack

• End of the War

At war - Silkworm attack

The United Nations gave Iraq a deadline to withdraw by the 16 January 1991. Saddam Hussein did not comply with the UN deadline and hostilities began in Iraq early on the morning of the 17 January. Wayland takes us through his experiences that night.

'Went to bed, I was asleep by half past midnight or so, then I remember about I suppose half past two maybe, maybe quarter past two, I remember the Captain came over the main broadcast, although I was still in bed and said "the tomahawks are now firing from the Wisconsin and the Missouri who were sort of one and three miles to the east of us, if you want to go up and have a look then do. You know, we are now, hostilities have now commenced" and he read out a signal that our boss out there, who was on the London had sent, a sort of very gung ho, steely type of signal, the exact contents of which I can't remember. And he said, "We can expect to go to action stations in the next hour" and I sort of said, "Okay, fine" and rolled over and went back to sleep again. Next thing I know, the old action alarm went off.'

Wayland Austin went to his station where he helped coordinate air missions

'[I] just watched this amazing radar picture, with air contacts just about everywhere. And was there, basically for the next ten or so hours.'

Radar Console on HMS Gloucester (RN FPU)

On 25 February HMS Gloucester was escorting the USS Missouri close to the Kuwaiti coast as it bombarded the shore with its 16-inch guns.

In the early hours of that morning the Iraqis fired a Silkworm missile against the Missouri. In less than 90 seconds Gloucester had destroyed the Silkworm with two Sea Darts, in what proved to be the first validated, successful engagement of a missile, by a missile, in combat at sea. Wayland Austin talks us through the attack -

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Austin remembers the beginning of the Silkworm attack. (RNM)

To read a transcript of this oral history follow the link

Austin was not on duty at the time of the attack but the noise of the alarm and of the missiles overhead soon woke him into action, as he explains -

'That action alarm went off I was awake faster than a click of the fingers, and the first thing I went (chounk) and I found this bloody light straight off and I went (choung) and I thought bloody hell that was good. Then I fell out of bed, I mean because we all slept fully clothed and ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor and, sort of pulling the ship boots on, and exactly, I heard whoosh, whoosh and I just sat there thinking god almighty I, my thought was that was two missiles going over the top of us. Then I thought no, no, no, can't be that, then I thought maybe it was us firing our chaff off, which is our, sort of our, our decoy missiles but I thought no, no that's from the wrong end because they get fired from the aft end I'm up for'ard and I thought bugger me it must have been the Sea Dart going off this is serious.

The action happened so fast that Austin did not have time to reach his station in time. He captures the action just after the ship successfully shot down the missile -

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Austin explains the reaction at his action station after the attack. (RNM)

To read a transcript of this oral history follow the link

Find out more about the Gulf War and the Silkworm attack

HMS Gloucester had proven its new missile technology. Days later the conflict was over.