Falklands - The Air War:
MR.2P - XV232:
"On 15th May it took-off at 0805Z with Flt Lt Cowan and 201 Sqn Crew 7 (AARI Sqn Ldr Rudin & Wg Cdr Emmerson aboard) for a long range reconnaissance mission which lasted 19hrs 5mins, extensive cloud cover having prevented the use of satellite derived information.
The Nimrod was flown south to a point 150 miles north of Stanley and then west until approximately 60 miles of the Argentine coast. XV232 then tracked north-east at between 7,000ft and 12,000ft parallel with the coast and it's Searchwater radar was used to survey a strip 400 miles wide and 1,000 miles long, confirming that all Argentine warships were still fully blockaded in port by the threat of British nuclear-powered submarines. It was a fine day and the aircraft was vulnerable during some segments of that flight, but XV232 was successfully recovered to Wideawake without incident after a total of three AARs and having travelled 8,300 miles.
Similar extended range reconnaissance flights were tasked regularly during the next few days, culminating in the second record breaking flight by XV232 during the night of 20/21 May just prior to the landings at San Carlos. Flt Lt Ford and 206 Sqn Crew 5 (AARI Sqn Ldr Wingate & Wg Cdr Emmerson aboard again) departed Wideawake at 1715Z in the aircraft and followed a similar course to the one that had been flown on 15 May".......