Navaleye = Atlantic Conveyor.
This is quite revealing. I have been in contact with the Chief Officer and his recollections are below- some parts edited to remove names. The Board of enquiry report you so kindly forwarded to me states - "1942 - ACO hit by two Exocet......'Hit the deck' called over ships broadcast." This was called AFTER the missiles hit and I am still unsure as wether this was broadcast or just shouted from the bridge.
Chief Officers email to me today.
If you mean Charlie Drought, third Engineer, then having read part of the book myself...I gave up after a few chapters as it was poorly written and not very good on facts...I can understand your question He was/is a nice chap and a reliable watchkeeping engineer..but just not in the know on much of what was going on. He ascribed some statements to me that were not accurate as well.
I was on the Bridge at the time too, and my recollection, without referring to my "report" that I wrote on British Tay.. was that we got Air Raid warning Red and two minutes later the missiles hit us..that's when *the SNO* shouted hit the deck...not by PA. There was a broadcast "Air Raid warning Red" as far as I remember as soon as we got the threat over the radio net.
I was on port Bridge wing when they hit, helping rig the GPMG...I recall a loud bang as they hit but also two supersonic bangs...just like concorde going overhead...but then again there was so much chaff going off difficult for a peace-loving non military man to know what all the noises were !
I think that in all probability he and I are correct in the assertion that we had no idea what was coming from where, and we had absolutely no idea that Exocets were airborne and coming in our direction until after they hit us . As to the claim that there were two separate missile hits each preceded by a broadcast - this is imaginative fiction probably induced by the excitment at the time. All quite undestandable.
I hope that this adds a little informed fact to this fascinating little piece of Naval engagement.
ps - I am still awaiting my copy of the book and will post my reactions to its content then. Keep up your enthralling tales and thanks for the wonderful link to the Argentinean photos.